Transplant
by SwallowSword
Summary: Tsuna dies at the tender age of 17, leaving the Vongola leaderless and heirless. In their desperation, the Vongola scientists desperately attempt to solve this problem by cloning the late Vongola Decimo. They never could have foreseen the consequences...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn  
Rating: T  
Summary: Tsuna dies at the tender age of 17, leaving the Vongola leaderless and heirless. In their desperation, the Vongola scientists desperately attempt to solve this problem by cloning the late Vongola Decimo. They never could have foreseen the consequences of their actions...Fem!27xAll

* * *

Prologue

* * *

It was unnerving, how different the world looked from the other side of bulletproof glass.

The rain drummed against the clear material. Her vision became warped, blurred. The rain was unrelenting, the glass was ungiving. The two seemed to exist in a twisted, contradicting synergy, each one battling the other. Competing for one to give way first. Of course, the elements couldn't even make a scratch on the special glass that was fitted over the sturdy metal frame of the vehicle.

The current Vongola Decimo pulled her jacket around her shoulders, huddling deeper into her clothes. She felt her right hand man beside her flinch slightly, as if her very movement was a deep insult to him. It probably was. She leaned against the window, and her hand pressed against the coolness of the thick glass. Only a few more minutes and then they would be there.

She was wearing a beautiful, flowing dress. She wore it like she was dependent. It was all a lie. The dress was colored in hues of gold, orange and red. _Sunset sky, _she mused. It was exactly what she was. These two words described her perfectly. Nothing but the aftermath of a finishing day. Beautiful, but ephemeral. A replacement, a last performance of the deceased blueness of the day. The opening act before darkness falls and sucks the light out of everything.

_Morbid. _She was being pessimistic, but it was hard to be optimistic in this situation.

She was never meant to be.

* * *

**~A few years ago~**

"Jyuudaime, I have the report for Hibari's mission. That damn bastard was too lazy to give it in himself and so just dumped it outside my room. Tch. Stupi-"

"Gokudera." Sawada Tsunayoshi's voice had long since moved on from being wimpy, high pitched. He no longer squealed like a little girl, and he wore his attire smartly, as if he was born to. Gokudera shook his head slightly, suppressing the urge to cuss colorfully at the absent and aloof Cloud. After all, what use was there to curse when the man wasn't even here to take the insults?

"How many times have I told you before, Gokudera..." Vongola Decimo was looking down at his report already, his eyes not meeting that of his right hand man. Gokudera could hear the deep disappointment in Tsuna's voice, and he could feel that his boss really didn't appreciate him muttering obscenities about other Vongola Guardians, especially behind his back.

"He's Family too, you know?" Tsuna's gaze flicked up, and Gokudera was once again struck by the warmth held in Tsuna's steady stare. Even though the brunette was still shorter than Gokudera himself, the very aura that Tsuna gave off was one that commanded obedience and loyalty. Gokudera felt pride swelling in his chest even as he dipped his head respectfully and nodded to Tsuna's soft chastise. There was a moment of comfortable silence before Gokudera decided to politely take his leave. He could still hear Tsuna's proud chuckles even after he left the office.

Reborn was waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Gokudera bowed respectfully to the world's greatest hitman, muttering a muffled "Reborn-san." Reborn tilted his fedora slightly and regarded Tsuna's trusted right hand man for a second.

"Gokudera." Reborn started. "Tsuna...there are some things that he can't do, and I have to put him through training for that. I hope you'll understand that you'll have to teach him some ways of the Mafia, when I'm not there to instruct him. You know the Mafia better than any other Vongola Guardian right now, and I'm entrusting this mission to you. Understand?" Gokudera nodded eagerly. This was just the opportunity to get both Tsuna and his famous tutor to acknowledge him as a suitable right hand man! "And one more thing, Gokudera." Here, Reborn's voice dropped to a secretive whisper. "Tsuna..maybe too selfless to kill. Too wimpy to kill for his own protection. And for that, I need you to watch his back."

Gokudera's chest swelled in pride. He was flabbergasted to have been the one to be entrusted with such an important mission. Of course, he wouldn't fail. Gokudera straightened and continued down the corridor, his shoulders straight and his loping gait making him seem taller than he was. Reborn sighed. This was the effect that Vongola Decimo had on people. Gokudera was proud to call himself Jyuudaime's right hand, and Reborn himself was proud to have raised such a fine pupil. Gone were the days of mass panic and uncertainty. He had grown into a wonderful, respected, awed and responsible leader, and he was just seventeen as well.

Reborn wondered faintly just how much more potential he could pull out of the teenager. Vongola Nono had passed away a year ago unexpectedly, due to illness. Tsuna had been hastily appointed the Vongola Don, and at first the brunette had been unsure and had made many mistakes. Now, a mere one year later, the current Vongola Don was doing spectacularly, even by Reborn's standards. Reborn had always known that Tsuna was a student that could improve in a short time. It all depended on the situation.

"Reborn?"

Tsuna popped his head out of the door, smiling as he saw the hitman leaning against the wall. Even though Reborn was still stuck in his baby form, his presence was still intimidating. Reborn swiftly turned his gun on his student.

"What's wrong, dame-Tsuna?"

"Eh! Um..." Tsuna stammered, staring down the barrel of the lizard pistol. Reborn clicked the safety off the gun threateningly, and Tsuna gulped. Even though he had gotten rid of his bad habit of screaming, he still had some difficulty suppressing the urge to go running down the corridor in terror when face to face with the hitman. It didn't help that Reborn had his usual, devilish smirk on his face, as if he was enjoying the teen's discomfort.

"Out with it already. I'm giving you three seconds."

"R..Reborn, I'm not sure how to finish the proposal for a Vongola member to be on the new electric company's board of directors..." Tsuna smiled sheepishly, and his tutor sighed. Tsuna sighed and stretched his arms.

"Actually, I was hoping that I could...I could take a little rest..."

"No. Finish your paperwork first."

Tsuna deflated visibly while the hitman smirked at his defeated student. The two went back into the office.

* * *

Three hours later, Tsuna was finally free. He jogged out of the office, stretching his legs and feeling great. He ran through the maze like corridors of the Vongola Japan Headquarters, looking for the dining room. The mansion was the very definition of 'huge'. Even though Tsuna's been situated in this mansion for more than a year, he still couldn't get used to finding his way through the corridors. Anything seemed to lead to anything. He had once walked through a door thinking that it was a bedroom only to find out that it was the ladies bathroom. Needless to say, he thanked all the Gods in existence that nobody was currently in the bathroom or at the sinks. He paled even more when he considered the possibility that _Bianchi _could've been in the bathroom. He was gone in a second.

Now that he was more familiar, he knew not to open doors on a whim. Reborn had taped signs up to help him, except they were in Italian. The sadistic baby had claimed that this would help Tsuna improve his Italian, but Tsuna thought he was just being mean. Reborn had watched with his trademark smirk as Tsuna had run around like a headless chicken, getting even more confused by the signs and wanting nothing more than to smash a hole through the wall. But after a year or so, Tsuna found that this was indeed making his Italian slightly better one vocab word at a time. At the very least, he knew how to ask where the toilet was now.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Tsuna grinned back at the baseball swordsman jogging down one of the corridors. Yamamoto laughed and patted him on the back. Tsuna sagged underneath his hand, feeling the pain shoot up his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, he had spent the better part of the day hunched over the mahogany desk, and was now feeling the backlash of all that uncomfortable positioning. Yamamoto's heavy pat didn't help at all. Instead, it seemed to have unleashed a whole horde of complaints from his joints and muscles.l Groaning, Tsuna kneeled. Yamamoto gave him a puzzled look, before deciding to pick the Decimo up and sling him over one shoulder, jogging down the hall happily. Tsuna sighed. He appreciated the rest, but he couldn't help but think that Yamamoto could've transported him in a much less awkward manner. Or Yamamoto could've refrained from slapping him on the back. That too.

"Oi! Put Jyuudaime down, you idiot!"

"Ahaha! Gokudera, you're here too? Where are we supposed to be going again?"

Gokudera pinched the bridge of his nose, thoroughly irked. First, there was his having to deal with the stupid, stubborn Cloud guardian, who has now holed himself up in the Japanese styled section of the base. Either that, or Hibari Kyoya has secretly gave him the slip and left for his favorite haunt, Namimori Middle. Gokudera wouldn't put it past the bastard to abandon them, even though Reborn had called for a whole family meeting just five minutes ago. And then there was the approaching figure of one Yamamoto Takeshi, who has never failed to piss Gokudera off upon appearance. And he was carrying Jyuudaime. Tsuna looked uncomfortable. How dare Yamamoto cause Jyuudaime discomfort.

"PUT HIM DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"Maa, maa! His arm was tired, so I just decided to help him a bit..."

"Just because his arm is tired doesn't mean that he needs help walking, you dumb shit. And anyway, Jyuudaime looks really uncomfortable! And it's all your fault!"

"Ah..Gokudera-kun...It's alright. Yamamoto means well. Though he could put me down..." Tsuna looked meaningfully at Yamamoto, and the baseball nut scratched the back of his head sheepishly and placed him back down. To Yamamoto, Tsuna was like a younger brother that he wouldn't mind hanging out with. Tsuna was kind and compassionate, and sometimes still looks so childishly innocent that it almost never occurred to Yamamoto that he was carrying around a full grown 17 year old.

"Sorry, Tsuna."

The Decimo sighed. "It's alright. You didn't mean any harm. Though, Yamamoto, I would appreciate it if you didn't just pick me up like that. It might seem a bit...awkward." Gokudera glared daggers into Yamamoto's back. The awkward silence was broken by a loud rumble from Tsuna's stomach.

"Ah! Jyuudaime, are you hungry? We're just about to go to dinner, but Reborn called a whole Family meeting, so I'm afraid we have to.."

"...Reborn...I swear, he wants to torment me. Mou! Whatever. I'll just go attend the meeting first."

Gokudera smiled and Yamamoto offered Tsuna a slightly squashed energy bar he found in his pocket. The three of them made their way to the meeting room, walking side by side, the very picture of friendship.

* * *

"I've called you here today to inform you of a rising concern."

Tsuna let out another deep breath. What was it this time? Some Mafia Famiglia targeting Namimori, perhaps? Byakuran suddenly appearing in this world again? Dino tripping over and banging his head against the wall, knocking himself out? Tsuna paled at the last one. What if Dino-san was really injured? Then he would have to...

He was knocked out of his reverie by a savage blow to the head. Faintly, he could hear Gokudera's yell of surprise, and Yamamoto's carefree laughter, before the ringing took over his mind. He shook his head a couple of times. He was seriously going to have to go to a health check up soon, to see if Reborn actually dealt some lasting damage with all the kicks that the Arcobaleno has directed to his head.

"Dame-Tsuna, as I was saying, there's possibility of an enemy attacking the Vongola Headquarters in Italy. Are you listening at all?" Another kick to the head, another round of yelping and crashing into the sofa. After a while, the commotion died down. Mukuro let out a disappointed chuckle, and Hibari 'humph'ed and silently wondered why the herbivorous idiot didn't fight back. Ryohei was focusing his attention on where the punches and kicks were landing, making sure to keep note of them so as to impress Master Pao Pao the next time it's his turn for training with the peculiar, abnormally short coach.

"Right, back to the situation at hand," The cheerful atmosphere died down almost instantly. Mafia business meant no horsing around, especially not when it's the Vongola getting attacked as well. Tsuna quietly cut into the Arcobaleno's talk. "Reborn, what do you mean there's a possibility?" Reborn sighed and informed the Decimo that the enemy had been sighted within Vongola territory, and therefore should be eliminated as soon as possible. Elimination, as in driving them out, not killing them, Reborn added hastily as he saw the horrified look on the young Don's face. Tsuna let out a breath he hadn't known that he'd been holding. Reborn saw the paleness of his face and then waved a hand dismissively, wishing to speak with the Vongola Don on his own. The rest of the guardians filed out, already discussing the battle tactics that could be used against the enemy should the occasion come that they have to go all the way to Italy to fight the battles of the main Headquarters.

Reborn sat Tsuna down opposite him and even poured him a cup of tea from the nearby drink machine.

"Nervous?"

Tsuna looked down. Here was Reborn, his dependable teacher, asking him one of the simplest questions, and yet he was unable to answer. He stared at his hands, and imagined them around the neck of some unknown Mafioso. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he imagined the breaking bones underneath, the cracks as the white cartilage crumble underneath his powerful touch. He imagined the hated stench of blood, invading his senses, he saw red, he couldn't move, fear overtook him, Tsuna was too young to kill, he didn't want to have blood stains on his hands, he didn't...

"Dame-Tsuna, you're letting your imagination get the better of you. I taught you better than this. Keep a level head in all situations, remember?" Tsuna nodded, shaking his head to rid himself of the images. The startling crimson of blood lingered in his head for longer than he would've liked. Reborn sighed and motioned for him to drink the tea. He took a long gulp and then nodded in confirmation of the hitman's question.

"Re..Reborn...It's just...is it going to be serious?"

"We can't say for sure. The enemy is just luring us back to Italy, I suspect, but one or two attacks have been dealt out by the enemy, and I really don't want to drag this on for longer than necessary. If Famiglia members are in danger, then who's to stop us from showing our faces, even if it's just for intimidation purposes?"

Tsuna nodded thoughtfully. "So, we might not be fighting this one? Just for intimidation purposes, right, Reborn?"

Reborn lets out a drawn sigh. "It depends, dame-Tsuna. I can't guarantee that there'll be no fighting, but we'll try. Alright? Now go get some sleep. And I want to see you well rested for tomorrow, we'll be getting the last of the information from the Main Headquarters, and ultimately, the decision to go will rest on the results. On the occasion that we go there, we can even try to get a peace treaty through with the enemy Famiglia. I'll get in contact with Hibari for you, so you don't have to worry about that."

Tsuna yawns and obediently turns to leave. Just as he's about to step out the door, Reborn stops him with quiet words. "Tsuna, just appearing there builds morale, you know? Many of those Mafioso, loyal ones, are willing to lay their lives down for you, and they haven't even seen you yet. The simple act of going to Italy this weekend shows them that you care for them. Think about it. It's another responsibility as a boss, and you'll have to learn to get your responsibilities in order, alright?" Tsuna paused, considering. Even if it wasn't for fighting, simply showing up could make people feel happier? Even if he didn't help out with the war, the morale at the Main Headquarters would become lighter? Reborn had been aiming to get Tsuna more in tune with the workings and rankings of the Vongola, but unknowingly, he had also increased a steadily growing lump of denial in Tsuna's heart. _It's not possible. There's no way a person like me could be that important. Reborn must be bluffing. _Tsuna had a horrible feeling pressing against his lungs, almost as if he could feel impending doom. He shook the feeling away, ignored his Vongola intuition. It was nothing more than his stupid overactive imagination. It can't be anything else. Reborn was right. Reborn was always right. Nothing would go wrong. Still, that little feeling of doubt stayed with him.

Even so, he nodded as if he was contemplating the idea. Reborn gave him a confident smirk, worsening the tight knot in his heart. If only he had more confidence in himself.

* * *

Lies. It had all been lies.

"RIGHT, JYUUDAIME! THERE'S SOMEONE TO YOUR..." Gokudera was hit in the face by a stray punch before he could finish his sentence. He spun away, and Tsuna froze in horror as he saw a fine arch of blood spray from his broken nose. He spun left, another hit narrowly missing his face. His dying will flame flared, and he followed through with a kick to the enemy's stomach. He thought he heard bones crunch, and he winced slightly. He dodged another kick, and another slash of a blade aimed to decapitate him.

The battleground was horrific. Coated in blood and gore and filled with struggling men.

There was no peace treaty. The other Family had not even stopped to listen. As soon as Tsuna had shown his face at the Main Headquarters, a declaration of war had been issued. Apparently, the other Boss had taken the Vongola Don's appearance to be a personal insult. The two Famiglias had had a great history of war, and all this had happened before Tsuna had even been appointed. This was how the Mafia worked, Tsuna realized a little too late. He was born to carry on the tradition, the sins of all those leaders before him. This incident was apparently because Vongola Octavo had killed the Boss' brother or something. Tsuna had had nothing to do with this.

And yet he was here, fighting.

For his life. For his friends. For his belief that everyone is born good and not evil.

"LISTEN TO ME!" He screams at another battle-weary soul on the battleground. He doesn't even know if it's one of Vongola's own or if the man belonged to the enemy. He grabbed the man by the arm, and shook him fiercely. "Stop fighting," He begged. The man freed himself from his grip and pushed him to the ground, holding a gun to his head. Tsuna was overtaken by terror and disappointment raging in his heart. Not everyone was good. They had an insatiable battlelust inside them that even Tsuna's earnest words couldn't hope to quench. The man sneered and spit on him. "So, this is Vongola's leader? How pathetic."

A tonfa came spinning out of nowhere. The man was knocked off balance. The end of the metal weapon opened to reveal a reel of deadly, spiked chain. Hibari wrapped the chain around the man's neck and yanked. The man's head was pulled off cleanly. Tsuna's mouth opened in shock as he was splattered in blood.

"If you do not want to inhale any of the disgusting substance, I suggest you close your mouth, herbivore." Tsuna obeyed without question, and another torrent of the red, sticky liquid spilled over onto him. Hibari glared down apathetically, his steely eyes flashing murderously. Raging with bloodlust and the heat of the battle, Tsuna realized. He scrambled upright.

"Get up and fight, herbivore. You're being pathetic."

Tsuna wiped the blood away from his face as best as he could with the back of his hand and readied his fighting stance again. The next hour seemed like years to the struggling Don. No matter how many he knocked down, more would take the person's place. No matter how many arms he broke, how many legs he knocked out from under people, they would get up again. Tsuna found himself unconsciously targeting more critical points of the body. He was pummeling stomachs, slapping chests, doing anything to keep standing and to keep himself from getting injured.

_Selfish. That's what everyone is on the battlefield. Selfish. _

There was Ryohei, fighting back to back with Mukuro, of all people. When the enemy forces seem overwhelming, the Vongola Guardians have no choice but to fight as one family. There was no nitpicking about who to partner up with. Just off to Mukuro's right, Hibari could be seen spinning amidst his deadly chains, and Gokudera was behind him, backing him up with dynamite and his shields from the just recently developed Systema C.A.I. Yamamoto was slicing through the enemy with Chrome by his side, their long weapons almost in sync as they tried to clear the path through the chaos. Tsuna blinked as he saw that Yamamoto was using the sharp edge of his weapon, drawing blood, injuring people. _Selfish. _Was it selfish, or was it the instinctual need to survive that kept them going? The Varia was here as well, Xanxus shooting and Squalo shouting, the two commanders of the assassination squad paving a road through the enemies at a fearsome rate. Even so, the more they cut down, the more came to take their place. They were slowly being overwhelmed as well, and not even Mammon's illusions or Bel's knives could shield them from the stray punches that manage to catch them in the ribs, in the kidneys.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera was making his way towards Tsuna. Tsuna watched, in a daze, as Gokudera flicked a bomb nonchalantly in the enemy's direction. A man was ripped apart in the blast, his limbs scattering over the field of destruction. Tsuna doubled over, threw up the contents of his long ago eaten breakfast. Gokudera's eyes widened in alarm as he saw the red life liquid make it's way out of his throat as well. Tsuna spat the bitter taste from his mouth, and then looked up, his warm honey-brown eyes dull with knowing too much. Seeing too much cruelty on the battlefield.

Gokudera had wanted to avoid this situation. Right before his eyes, witnessing the pain and mental torment that the gentle Tsuna was feeling, he finally understood what Reborn meant when he said that Tsuna was 'too wimpy' to take on the task of killing for his own protection. Jyuudaime really was too selfless. He could never cause harm to others. This was a good, honest, even desirable trait in most men. But in the world of the Mafia, the unforgiving hierarchy of violence and bloodshed, this was a fatal part of one's personality. Tsuna would be trained later, but for now, Gokudera would have to guide his boss through the routine of killing. Even if it means hurting the boss himself, Gokudera would rather deal with a traumatized Tsuna than a dead Tsuna.

Having realized this, Gokudera quickly pulled the unresponsive Decimo beside him. He carefully directed his dynamite so that it was still killing the enemy, but also falling within Tsuna's line of sight. It hurt Gokudera, for Tsuna's innocent mind to have been tarnished in such a horrible, sickening way. It hurt him that with every blow that he dealt to the enemy, with every spectacular throw that he delivers to block an incoming shot or blow, he's faced with a disgusted flinch from his boss. His warm, encompassing boss.

Gokudera wondered if Tsuna would forgive him afterwards. He wonders if Tsuna would see him as a killer and refuse to see him ever again.

It hurt, but he was doing it for his boss.

* * *

Yamamoto's sword swung through the fray. He was covered in blood from head to toe, having decapitated a few heads and taken off a few limbs during the battle. His expression was carefully blank, his movements automatic. He could hear Chrome panting beside him, her arms limp from swinging the trident. The two of them had been pushed to their very limits, their adrenaline fading as the horrors of war wore into the night.

"...C..Chrome." He sounded shaken up, exhausted. Chrome shook her head silently, her arms bringing her trident back down to smash someone's head in. Her expression was also modelled into careful apathy. Yamamoto took note that she didn't flinch anymore. She was getting used to killing. It was unnerving, and Yamamoto chuckled to himself as he brought his Shigure Kintoki, the blade wet with scarlet liquid, around to slice off another person's arm.

He missed the days when he believed the Mafia was a game.

* * *

Tsuna lost track of time after he killed a third person. He distinctly watched as the man's throat was crushed under his flaming punch, watched as the man hit the pile, watched as the man's head hit the sharp end of an abandoned sword. Tsuna wiped the blood away from his mouth, no longer feeling the need to empty the contents of his stomach. He too, was getting used to this. This was what the Mafia was all about.

Nothing had woke him more than the need to protect. As soon as Tsuna had realized that Gokudera was risking life and limb for him, to protect him from getting hurt, Tsuna had realized. _I have to kill to survive. This is the way of the Mafia. _

And kill he had. The next few hours had gone by in a flurry of smashes and bones breaking underneath his hits. Tsuna had tried so hard not to hit anyone in vital areas, but he hadn't been successful. His first kill had been a man who had crumbled under his touch, his chest caved in with Tsuna's powerful punch. Tsuna had stared at the man until Gokudera had pulled him away, and had directed him to a new flow of enemies. Tsuna hated this, this game of being independent and being dependent on Gokudera to give him new enemies to fight. He was perfectly capable of doing everything himself. _I'm perfectly capable of protecting my friends myself. _

Pain struck him and he found himself kneeling again. He could hear Gokudera shouting his name. He felt his muscles relaxing, and then other point of pain drove into the bottom of his spine. He heard the brittle bone crack, felt his legs giving way, saw the world turning sideways, tasted and smelt the blood that suddenly smeared his shoulder, the small of his back. He was scared. His heart was pounding so painfully fast, he almost wanted to squeeze the organ, to stop the pounding. He brought his hand up to his chest, and felt another two bullets hit him, one in each lung. His breathing collapsed. He sprawled sideways, gracelessly. Painting the brown of the floor crimson with his wounds.

"..uu...daime!" He could not hear Gokudera clearly anymore. Gokudera was kneeling beside him, panicstricken tears wetting his pale face. Suddenly, Tsuna could hear his words clearly. He couldn't speak. He was wheezing, fighting to get air in his lungs. Gokudera's hand pressed on the round wounds in Tsuna's chest. He tried to staunch the flow of the blood by pulling off his shirt and pressing it to the wounds. The battle raged all around him, and he couldn't bring himself to care. His Jyuudaime was dying, and Gokudera couldn't do anything about it, but he sure as hell is going to try.

"Jyuudaime, can you hear me?"

"...u...ra..." Tsuna replied faintly. Gokudera leaned closer, his tears dripping onto Tsuna's bloodied chest. Tsuna coughed pitifully, before pushing himself up on one arm.

"N..No! Don't move...I...we...MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!"  
Tsuna shakes his head and sits up, ignoring the pain peppering his chest and his back. He doubles over to spit a glob of congealed blood on the floor, mustering up the energy to glare at the glinting blob almost as if the blood was taunting him.

"J...Jyuudaime?" Tsuna was sitting up now, in pain but still alive. Gokudera felt a faint flash of irrational hope flicker through his heart. He needed Jyuudaime to get better. The Vongola needed him as a leader. The Guardians needed him as a Sky, as a brother, as a friend.

"Jyuudaime! Please..." He cursed, looking around. The medics were all tending to other people. "MEDIC!" He hollered once more, his tears blurring his vision.

"Gokudera." Tsuna could speak again. Tsuna patted the ground beside him, and Gokudera sat down hesitantly. "Gokudera, I need you to do three things for me."

"Of course! Anything, Jyuudaime, just...please don't...please don't..."

Tsuna gave him a sad smile. That, he couldn't guarantee. Every word was forced out through the pooling of blood in his lungs. He had to restrain himself from coughing and splattering his faithful right hand with the red liquid. Tsuna's hands twitched, scrabbling behind him.

"One...please...lead the guardians for me."

"N..No! Jyuudaime, you're not going to die...You are not leaving us!"

"Shh, Gokudera. It's okay. I'm going to die. I've already accepted this fact." Tsuna was amazed at how calm he sounded. He was amazed at how composed he was. He felt like a true Don, the true leader of the Vongola. All his doubt was wiped away. He needed to tell Gokudera this.

"Two...do you see me as a friend? As a best friend?"

"J..Jyuudaime...of course! Of course I do...Please...just..."

"Call me...Tsuna..Just th...this once. My name. Tsuna."

"But Jyuudaime..." Gokudera was crying now. If only he had realized that calling his boss by his name was regarded as the highest honor, Tsuna wouldn't have had to suffer all these years. Tsuna wouldn't have had those doubts about Gokudera being his true friend.

"I'm sorry...Tsuna. I never realized...Please fo...forgive me.." Painful sobs wracked the silverette's body. He continued to glance around for the medics, continually holding onto the string of hope that somebody could come over here, miraculously dig out the four bullets and close up Tsuna's wounds once and for all. He was still holding his soiled cloth against Tsuna's stomach, and Tsuna carefully pushed the cloth away.

"Gokudera...one last thing..."

"Wh..what is it?" He was suddenly scared.

"I...I wa...want...you to end my pain for me."

Tsuna shakily pressed a loaded pistol into Gokudera's hands. Gokudera stared at it for the longest time, before he grabbed the cursed gun. The metal was cool to the touch. "Please..." He begged.

"Please." Tsuna echoed firmly, his eyes steady. Blood was leaking out of his mouth, staining his neck, his cheeks. His lips twitched into the faintest trace of a smile. "Please." He whispered again. Gokudera closed his eyes.

_In the end_, Gokudera thought, _it was just all about being selfish. _

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this was a little confusing, but all will be explained soon! Let me know what you think of this so far. Please review! Thank you so much!


	2. Sunset Sky

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn  
Rating: T

* * *

Sunset Sky

* * *

_Here's the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia_

_will not sweeten this little hand. _

_~Lady Macbeth, William Shakespeare_

* * *

Black and white laid out in front of him. 8 rows, 8 columns, 64 blocks. Black and white. Glass pieces dot the chessboard, frozen in the middle of their game. He reaches out and fingers the rook, knight, bishop, feeling the contours of the glass under his fingers. It was uneven. The bottom of the bishop is chipped. His finger lingered on the sharp glass for a second. He pricks himself, leaps up, sticks the finger in his mouth, curses silently to himself. The nip of tangy blood fills his mouth. He immediately pulls his finger out in horror. Sits down, puts his head in his hands. His left hand rises again, wanders the smoothness of the black and white maze before him. His hand lingers on the central piece of the board.

_Lead the guardians for me._

He tips the king over. Without the king, the game is lost.

* * *

**~A few years ago~**

It just didn't feel the same again without Tsuna by their side, Gokudera realized. Tsuna was an essential element, one that kept the Family together. He huffed slightly and took another drag on his cigarette. Without Tsuna to stop him, Gokudera really didn't have the willpower to get rid of this old, dirty habit of his. He knew he was coating his lungs in tar. He didn't particularly care anymore. It was adept punishment for a man who had betrayed his best friend, who had held a gun to his boss' head and pulled the trigger without second thought. _He asked me to_. Grey smoke billowed out of his mouth, rendering his vision hazy. He imagined that he could see Tsuna's familiar silhouette through the greyness floating in front of him. He chuckled.

"Gokudera..." Yamamoto pushed the door to his room open gently. The swordsman's silent footsteps sounded loud in the oppressing sullen atmosphere within the Storm Guardian's bedroom. Yamamoto gave Gokudera a disapproving frown upon seeing that the silver-haired youth was tapping the edge of his cigarette thoughtfully against his chin.

"What do you want, Yamamoto?" No longer did the playful bantering exist between the two of them. Yamamoto found himself reaching out to snuff out the other end of Gokudera's smoke, the smoldering ash staining his fingertips black. Gokudera tossed the half finished stick into the bin, no longer in the mood now that Yamamoto was here, interfering in his business.

"I asked you, what do you want?" Gokudera's voice came out louder than he intended, his tone harsher than he expected. Yamamoto winced, not out of offence, but more in sympathy to the defensiveness that suddenly appeared in Gokudera's mannerism.

"I...I guess I just wanted to talk..."

"Go fucking bother someone else, you idiot. Leave me alone."

Yamamoto's expression didn't change. If Gokudera wanted to take out some steam on him, then so be it. He stubbornly stayed, even going so far as to take a seat on Gokudera's bed, quietly observing the unmoving storm guardian. Gokudera didn't so much as turn his head to regard his fellow guardian. There really was no point. If Yamamoto was insistent on annoying him, then he would just ignore him so that Yamamoto wouldn't have the satisfaction of drawing a reaction from him. He pulled out another roll to smoke, and tapped it thoughtfully against his chin, without reaching for the lighter just yet. Yamamoto walked over and took the cigarette from him. Gokudera growled and leapt up, his other hand going to reach for the lighter.

"Give it back."

"No, Gokudera. It's bad for your health. If you contin..."

"I don't give a rat's ass about whatever shit you're preaching to me. You might as well just leave and let me think by myself, you moronic bastard! Your presence is just annoying and unneeded, Yakyuu baka!" The outburst came unexpected to both of them. Yamamoto stiffens, the offending white cigar still held limply between his fingers. Gokudera took a deep breath and gave him as stern a glare as he could muster. He waves to the door, and Yamamoto plucks the lighter out of Gokudera's hand casually in the moment that he is unguarded. He flicks it, holds the cigarette to the dancing flame. He watches as the end starts smoldering, the smoke wafting in front of his face. The paper curls, blackening. Yamamoto puts the cigarette to his mouth and takes a drag, forcing himself not to choke on the acrid taste of the smoke. _How can Gokudera even stand the substance? It's disgusting! _

Gokudera slaps his hand, hard. The cigar falls to the floor, and Gokudera steps on it. Yamamoto lets out a shaky breath, the smoke clearing from his lungs. He gives Gokudera a sad smile and a small, jaunty wave, before turning his back on the lonely youth and leaving the room.

Gokudera picks up the cigarette and shoots it a look of disgust. He throws it in the bin.

* * *

The funeral had been a meager affair. Nobody attended except for Tsuna's closest friends, his guardians. Even then, some people chose to be absent. Hibari didn't show up, but the baby had expected the aloof skylark to stay away. Hibari had never really wanted to be associated with the Vongola much anyway, and he doubted the Cloud Guardian felt much about Vongola Decimo's departure. Strangely enough, Gokudera Hayato didn't show up either. Reborn had cornered Yamamoto and had questioned him about it, but the swordsman knew nothing of Gokudera's movements. Why the faithful right hand man would choose not to attend the meeting was beyond Reborn's understanding, and Reborn hated not understanding something. He had set his mind to figuring out the silver haired youth's motives, but that has been pushed back on his list of priorities as he focused on dealing with hardest challenge yet.

Not one week has passed after the funeral and Reborn sat at a dining table, pushing the food around his plate with a knife. Iemitsu gave him a curious stare, and Reborn puts the knife down rather roughly, using his other hand to spear a meatball with his fork.

_How to tell him?  
_  
"So, Reborn, how's it going with the Vongola? Everything good?" Iemitsu wipes his mouth and sets the napkin down on the table. Reborn's gaze flickers to the soiled cloth and then back to study Iemitsu's face.

The man doesn't sense that anything is wrong, still looking expectantly at Tsuna's tutor. There should be some good news, right? He had just come back from a mission in Antartica, drilling for metallic and gem-like resources for the Vongola scientists to analyze and determine whether they could be used as ore to make more flame rings. He was dog tired and he wanted nothing to go home and eat his wife's cooking, listen to the radio perhaps, and drink some sake. Oh, how he missed the taste of his precious Nana's food! And then tomorrow, he would go and visit his son. His dear, strong son, taking care of the Vongola's affairs. His phone went dead right after Reborn called him and told him that he would like to treat the CEDEF advisor to dinner so that he could give him a few updates on what the Vongola has been up to. Iemitsu's chest swelled as he thought of all the praise that he was sure to receive about Tsuna. It was only expected that his son would grow into such an excellent leader. Tsuna was a natural, and he commanded his Famiglia through compassion and heartwarming trust rather than totalitarian, spartan means.

"We had a fight with an enemy Famiglia just last week. We had to go to Italy to take care of it."

Iemitsu leaned forward. Surely Tsuna had brought back some amazing achievement? How about the rest of the men under his control? They must've been glad to see Tsuna on the battlefield! It's not everyday that the Vongola boss would show his face. Wars are usually too small scale for the Vongola Don himself to get his hands dirty, especially when they are about territorial issues.

Reborn's face was an unreadable mask.

"So, Reborn..." Iemitsu leaned forward eagerly. Reborn could still see the traces of exhaustion on the man's face. It mustn't have been easy, dealing with drilling and other external affairs for the Vongola, especially with Hibari's Foundation putting pressure on him as well.

Reborn swallowed the taste of bitter defeat as he got ready to tell Iemitsu that his son was no longer among the living. _How should I put it?_

In a way that's suits Reborn the most. Bluntly.

"Iemitsu, your son is dead."

And the silence that followed held more emotions than Reborn could handle.

* * *

A few years later, and Iemitsu had already come to terms with the fact that his son is dead. He found himself shying away from his work, spending more time with Nana and his ever trusty bottle of alcohol. He wouldn't call it depression; it was much too complicated to be simple depression. There was his sense of duty and his sense of pride, all destroyed with the lucky shots that nailed his son.

He hadn't the guts to tell Nana. It was despicable, the way he decided to keep information from his wife this way. He told her that Tsuna was busy for work, and it destroyed him a little bit inside every time she asks him why their dear, adorable son didn't call home to see what was going on. Iemitsu supposed that since she was so busy with taking care of the housework, attending to Ipin and Lambo, who were both growing up rapidly and now needed help with homework and other menial things such as tidying up their rooms or packing their bags. Nana had so much on her hands that Iemitsu didn't care to burden her with the melancholy news that their only son was already buried six feet under. Reborn often came over to stay with Bianchi as well, so the house was still lively.

She probably wouldn't ever forgive him once she found out that she had been lied to all these years. But deep down inside, Iemitsu suspected that she knew already. It showed in the way she hunched her back as she passed the home phone out in the hallway. The way her hands are heavy as she pats Ipin and Lambo's heads to praise them for good work, the way she always spooned out an extra bowl of soup and then looked at the door before dumping it down the sink.

Iemitsu never said anything, and the rift between him and his wife grew gradually apart.

* * *

Tsunayoshi stepped through the door and found herself in an elegantly decorated banquet room. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, glittering with a spectacular array of multi-colored crystals. The lights touched upon different objects in the room, glinting off raised wine glasses and decorative diamond brooches.

Slowly, the chatter faded away from the room. People turned to regard her, and she noticed that some of them instinctively reached over to touch the Vongola insignia sewn onto their sleeves. The men in the room wore the symbol of their family proudly, and as they cast their gaze upon her, she couldn't help but feel that they were disappointed in her in some way or another.

The guardians fanned out behind her, stepping almost proudly into place behind their current boss. She looked to her right and habitually noted the absence of her 'right hand man'. Immediately upon alighting from the luxurious limousine that had brought her to the current venue, Gokudera had gotten out of the car and opened the door for her, even though she was capable of doing it herself. She had to swallow a retort and remind herself that it was common courtesy between boss and subordinate. She didn't look back when Gokudera didn't follow her as the other guardians got out of their respective vehicles and formed up behind her. Gokudera had gotten back into the limo and floored the gas pedal before either of them could make a comment.

It hurt her, the way he wanted to stay away from her as much as possible. Was it not enough that she held the same genes as his late beloved Sawada Tsunayoshi?

Slowly, the gathered crowd bowed to her, paying their respects. It was a family party, nothing more than a gathering meant to uphold the powerful Vongola imagery. Nothing more than a procedural party to show allies and enemies alike that the Vongola was still up and running, still functional even though their boss had died such a tragic, unexpected death. Reborn had suggested it, of course, making sure that other Famiglias are not going to try anything funny. The experienced Arcobaleno knew that many other families might use this opportunity to either attack or exploit the Vongola's weakness. Reborn was thinking ahead. Everybody else, it seems, was still in mourning because of Tsuna's death. They weren't willing to accept a replacement so soon, and Tsunayoshi had come to respect that fact.

She put on her winning smile, no teeth and all lips and eyes. The tension in the room loosened up somewhat and everyone slowly turned away from her to go back to whatever they were doing. Reborn caught her gaze, leaning on the wall on the far side of the room, and he raised his glass in acknowledgement. Tsunayoshi found it hard to imagine Reborn as an infant. The Reborn she knew stood tall and proud, towering over many. She had seen pictures of him, before his curse was lifted, but she hadn't really realized that Reborn had taken on such a drastic change. The once-infant hitman was still as famous as ever, and still, if not more, intimidating.

She stepped forward a little, teetering slightly in her high heels. How she hated these formal occasions. They left her vulnerable and unstable, wobbling without the firm ground to stand on. She felt like she was drowning as soon as she stepped into the banquet hall, for she knew that she is still truly alone.

The pain of being alone is only accentuated when she realized that she is left looking at the middle of the dance floor all by herself. Her 'guardians' had all dispersed, and she was left to wander the location all by her lonesome. Tsunayoshi gritted her teeth slightly and continued taking tiny steps in her killer stilettos. The silky smoothness of her gradiented dress chafed gently against her thigh, heightening her senses. She drank in the appearance of her surroundings, noting simple, outstanding details such as the man standing by the drinks section, wearing an ugly striped tie. He was sporting a brilliant green mop of hair. Curiously, every time she tried to take a closer look, his face seems to blur. Tsunayoshi wrote it off as exhaustion. She was quite tired, after all.

Another man spun around to her right, a lady captured elegantly in his arms. Tsunayoshi watched silently as the couple laughed and drew closer to each other, spinning on the dancefloor like two swans gracefully crossing the surface of a glassy lake. She took note of how Hibari was out on the balcony, his back facing the crowds, disdain for the gathering evident in the way his shoulders are stiff. She watched as Yamamoto laughed and chattered with a group of his admirers. She glanced over at Ryohei, who was eating a hearty meal at the all-you-can-eat buffet table.

"Kufufufu~ Would you care for a dance, Vongola Decimo?"

A gloved white hand wrapped around her wrist gently, and she found herself face to face with her mist guardian. She looked into his mismatched eyes, wondering just what on earth the man was thinking. Across the room, she could almost feel the disapproval radiating from Reborn. Mukuro didn't have a great reputation in the Mafia, having been locked in Vindiche before. Reborn had told her that she needed to dance at the banquet, preferably with Gokudera or Yamamoto. The only problem was that Gokudera had refused to attend. No doubt Reborn would give him an earful later.

This is, again, to keep up the image that the Vongola was still a tight knit group. There are spies from other Famiglias that have slipped into the banquet to observe the actions of the Vongola Decimo core group, looking for the opportunity to pick out their weaknesses. Reborn could probably easily identify each and every one of these intruders, but he had instructed for them to be let in so as to let them know that the Vongola was still as powerful and as stable as ever. Without Gokudera's presence, doubt flitted through the gathered guests, ruining Reborn's plan. Gokudera had never shown such disobedience before.

_At least when Tsuna was still alive, _she reminded herself. Reborn had drilled the behaviors of all the guardians into her minds, making sure that she knew how to work as a Famiglia. It was failing. The family is slowly but surely falling apart, and the guardians were being unpredictable and unwilling to interact with her.

To hell with what Reborn thought, Tsunayoshi decided as she took Mukuro's gloved hand. He smoothly slipped his fingers through hers, holding her hand gently but firmly. He led her to the dancefloor, as graceful if not more than the couple that had passed her not a few minutes earlier. Mukuro placed one hand on her waist to hold her in position, and she stiffened slightly. She had practiced with Gokudera, but it had felt different. Gokudera had been more rough, refusing to touch her more than he had to, and he had literally dragged her through the steps. He had been impatient too, teaching her the basics only and losing his temper when she forgot the right steps to the dance. Their session had ended painfully, with Gokudera storming out and muttering about how useless she was. It would've brought tears into her eyes if it weren't for the fact that she didn't know how to cry.

"Ready?" Mukuro started leading her through the steps. She stumbled once or twice on her dress, but soon got the hang of it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yamamoto straighten and discreetly cast her a glance or two.

Mukuro chuckled as a few envious eyes followed their movements. She stepped to the tune of the slow waltz smoothly, Mukuro there only as a supporting pillar. The feeling was exhilarating. She has finally learned something herself, and this time she didn't have Gokudera screaming at her whenever she did something wrong.

* * *

Verde watched his test subject take to the floor with Rokudo Mukuro. Mukuro had not volunteered to dance with her out of pure sympathy; the man was probably incapable of such emotions. Verde had made an unlikely alliance with Rokudo Mukuro, promising to develop something that would improve his illusionary techniques if he would keep tabs on the new Vongola Decimo for him.

Unbeknownst to Reborn, he was part of the team that had cloned the Vongola Decimo. Reborn probably knew though, and the thought that his rival knew about his actions brought a scowl to his face. Verde fixed his striped tie and eyed the drinks that lined the table. He wondered if he could slip his new concoction into one of the tall, vintage wine bottles. But no, surely Reborn's hawk eyes would catch his movements. Reborn was too busy to look in his direction, but it was only a matter of time before Verde was caught. He had already put a blurred mask into place so as to deter anyone from looking at his face. It was one of the more successful creations of his.

Verde couldn't resist pressing a hand to his glasses, pushing the horn-rimmed spectacles further up his face. He quietly watched as the test subject smiled brightly, noting that her smile still looked fake. One of the problems with the cloning was that they trained her to be too mechanical. She had also grew up too fast, having been forced to take years in the span of days with the growth serum that Verde had fed her. It wouldn't do for the Vongola to have to wait a few years before their new Decimo was able to even speak. What with the urgent situation at hand, they needed a leader quickly. Verde had cleverly developed a growth serum, and had managed to retain fragments of the late Vongola Decimo's memories to implant into the clone's mind.

Losing her childhood so quickly wasn't doing her much good.

She was awkward around her guardians. Unsure on her own feet. She acted like a child sometimes, except she didn't know quite how to smile or cry. Verde couldn't help but think that they had made a calculation error, and they had created an inhumane machine rather than a real, live child. No matter, Verde reasoned. The clone would have to learn how to live on her own sooner or later.

* * *

Mukuro spun her with a flourish and concluded the dance by bowing elegantly. Tsunayoshi curtsied clumsily beside him, her face flushed with the excitement that lingered in the atmosphere. She beamed when the people around her clapped politely, some murmuring that the Vongola Decimo was indeed a fine 'creation'.

"Thank you for the dance." Mukuro's voice sounded suavely in her ear, uncomfortably close.

She smiles back at him and he chuckles. He reached across and gently stroked her cheek, a touch intimately friendly. "Don't smile unless you mean it."

Mukuro's hand slipped out of hers suddenly, and she clenched at thin air before she realized that he's gone. He had gone to get a drink at the drinks section, she realized. To her surprise, the man with the atrocious tie and the special hair was still sitting by the drinks section. She blinked and tried to make out his features once more. He was slightly familiar. The way he stood and offered Mukuro a drink, the way his hands keep wandering up to his blurred, unfocused face to push at something. She squinted, and then decided that she's never seen the man before in her life.

* * *

_"Smile, Tsunayoshi."_

_She was standing in front of a mirror. Someone had pulled a spotlight to shine onto the back of her neck, and the light was irritatingly hot. The muscles at her lips twitched._

_"Smile." The voice was no longer condescending, gentle. She turned to face the man with the horn-rimmed glasses, her mouth slowly turning down into a frown. The man adjusted his glasses a few times and scribbled something down onto his clipboard, before firmly directing her back to the mirror. _

_"Smile. The corners of your mouth has to turn up." _

_She remained emotionless for a few more hours. The only emotion showing was her irritation. She brought her hand up to scratch the back of her neck. "Smile..." He ordered, the untold threat from his words hanging in the air heavily. She could taste the 'or else' sliding down her throat in the form of some painful concoction that he had cooked up for her to 'try'. She shook her head, exasperation slowly but surely bubbling up in her heart. _

_"I can't." _

_"You have to."_

_And so she sat there for the rest of the day, observed and prodded, the scientist waiting for her to smile. She eventually managed a thin lipped quirk, but even that was an accomplishment. She didn't know what she was smiling for, and she didn't know why she was supposed to smile. _

_"To become human." The scientist had told her. _

_She had simply nodded._

* * *

Tsunayoshi held the cup of golden liquid between her fingers delicately. She looked at the chute of champagne, watching as the bubbles travelled the glass to burst upon reaching the top. The breeze brushed her tousled brown hair away from her face.

"Herbivore, get back to the party."

She gave Hibari a confused look, though it looked expressionless to him. She didn't want to 'get back to the party'. The party was boring her. Ever since Mukuro had struck up conversation with the green haired man, she had had nothing to do. So she decided in initiating some guardian bonding time, and since Hibari was conveniently alone, she had decided to join him.

Her presence irked the man.

"Leave."

Tsunayoshi felt the familiar twinge of pain flicker through her heart. She didn't understand why he wouldn't want her to just stand there. Surely, she wasn't that despicable? She knew that all the guardians festered some sort of hate inside their hearts for her, but it varied from each man. She had hoped that Hibari would be more lenient, seeing as he didn't particularly want anything to do with the previous Tsuna.

At least, she had hoped that Hibari would treat her the same way that he treated Tsuna.

It didn't seem the case. Hibari had gave her a look of barely disguised contempt and had slid open the balcony door to the crowded, noisy hall. He didn't look back as he stepped through and disappeared in the crowd, and it hurt her to know that Hibari would rather walk among the crowding herbivores than spend some alone time with her. She leaned against the railings, feeling the wind cool the flushed feeling on her cheeks. It was comforting, the wind. Soothing, like a lullaby sung softly into her ears.

Someone else joined her. She turned her head unsteadily, the champagne glass nearly tipping out of her grasp. Only her fast instincts saved it from toppling over the balcony railing.

"Hey..."

Yamamoto stood there, looking sheepish. Yamamoto was the nicest out of all of them, and the most accepting of her. Yamamoto paid her the most attention, sometimes coming to talk to her just for the sake of knowing her. She was grateful for Yamamoto's existence. She wouldn't have lasted a day in the Vongola HQ if she didn't have Yamamoto to bid for her.

"Why are you out here, all alone? I saw you dancing with Mukuro earlier. You looked like you enjoyed it. Why not go find someone else to partner up with?"

"Gokudera." She murmured softly in reply.

"Gokudera isn't here right now though..." Yamamoto blinked in surprise.

She shook her head. "I'm supposed to dance with Gokudera."

Yamamoto laughed, his laugh whirling away in the wind. She strained her ears to hear his familiar "ha ha ha", because the sound had always comforted her. Yamamoto scratched the back of his head nervously.

"How about you dance with me?"

Tsunayoshi turned to look at him fully. Underneath the moonlight, her similarity to Tsuna was unnervingly familiar. There was Tsuna's honey brown, forever hopeful eyes. His mop of messy hair, though Tsunayoshi's was somewhat tamer and more combed, longer as well. Her small lips, the bridge of her nose, all the same in Takeshi's eyes.

"I don't really know how to dance.."

"Maa, maa! You were doing fine with Mukuro just a few minutes ago, weren't you?"

She nodded slightly. She felt embarrassed that he would praise her like that. Yamamoto was really the easiest to warm up to, and the one with the nicest laugh and the most lighthearted attitude towards her as well. She realized that he was the only one she felt comfortable with, the only one she considered a friend.

And so she let Yamamoto Takeshi lead her out onto the dancefloor, felt a sense of deja vu wash through her as hidden, jealous glances were cast towards her. He gently placed one hand on her waist, the other going to quickly comb through his hair before he took her hand.

* * *

Reborn stood by the gates, his fedora hanging low upon his head. The guests filed past him silently, some nodding out of respect and some shuffling away, scared. Reborn's gaze swept through the sea of faces, noting those from different families. He smirked upon seeing that both rivals and allies of the Vongola had sent people to watch the event.

"Reborn-san."

The soft toned voice could only be his new student, Vongola Decimo the second. Reborn could honestly say that he didn't approve of Tsuna being cloned at all, but he could see the reason behind such actions. It wasn't that it made the Vongola look weak; in fact, the Vongola was now known as the first Family to have a cloned human being within their ranks. Of course, their scientific research is being kept under the table, and Reborn has made sure that news of the cloning has not leaked out to the wider, more ignorant world. If it had, then the Vongola scientists would've created a mayhem of controversy and forbidden topics for other, well known institutions to debate. Reborn wanted none of it.

He nodded quietly to the soft-spoken girl. She had no intimidating aura, and Reborn was quite frankly, frustrated with having to go back to square one. The only consolation he had was that this Tsunayoshi was quite capable of thinking, as opposed to the old Tsuna's mindless blabbering and freaking out. The only problem is, this girl is incapable of showing emotion, apart from the usual fake smiles. They've trained her well, but her emotions were too fake to be taken seriously. Reborn had even considered the possibility that they had replaced her heart with something mechanical, leaving her nothing more than a machine for them to control.

"Get yourself home. Take a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow, we're going to start training. Alright?"

She nodded, bowing sloppily out of respect for her home tutor, and ducked into the car waiting for her. She smiled as she saw the bob of silver hair as Gokudera slipped into the driver's seat. Reborn watched silently as Gokudera closed the door and locked it.

The two of them headed home, neither one speaking to the other.

* * *

Tsunayoshi stepped out of the shower, her hair damp and limp on her back. She wrapped a towel around herself and sat herself down on her bed. Reaching over, she quickly slipped into her night clothes, shaking her hair loose so that it fluffed up slightly again. She felt her lips twitch and wondered if she was trying to smile again. She glanced at herself in the mirror.

The face of the late Vongola Decimo stared back at her.

_"Take care of my Family, will you? And please try to cheer Gokudera-kun up..."_

It haunted her every night, Tsuna's face in her mirror. She had often wondered if he actually lived in part of her. This might even be possible, as Tsunayoshi was sure that she possessed some memories that she doesn't remember gaining, ones like attending a school in a small town called Namimori, going on picnics with Gokudera and Yamamoto and fighting Mukuro. Either that, or her mind is already so warped that it's inventing memories to replace the ones that she wasn't given the time to develop.

Tsuna's face was soon gone. She frowned slightly; frowning had been the only facial expression that she had mastered so far.

"I promise."

His voice rang in her head, clearer than ever. _"First, you have to learn to take care of your own mistakes. That is one of the steps to becoming a great boss. Learn to look behind you." _She heard a light chuckle and her lips twitched again. She wanted to smile...to really, genuinely smile.

She wondered if he was an alternate version of hyper intuition, or that he wasn't really dead and was just borrowing her body as a host for his soul. Anyhow, she knew she was the only person to be able to hear him. Ironically, Tsuna was the person she talked to the most. He was the most understanding of all the people she knows, forever patient and friendly. He didn't resent her for taking his place in the family; rather, he was glad that they had found someone to guide his friends. Tsuna constantly told her that he was worried about the way the family was becoming more distant, and he often asks her to help Gokudera.

"I don't know how to help him though...he keeps on pushing me away..." Tsunayoshi murmured somewhat sadly. Silence met her sentence and she resigned to a night of thinking up her own ways of getting close to the touchy dynamite user.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself walking towards her door. Maybe she could go and find him in his room. Gokudera would've been alone the whole day, except for the short while he was ferrying her to and from the party. Maybe he would be more agreeable when she's actually sat down and talked to him properly...

_Learn to look behind you._

She had often wondered how Tsuna's last moments must've been like. The feeling of a bullet burying deep into her skin. The feeling of blood trickling down flesh, the metallic taste of crimson liquid thick under the tongue.

She ducked just as the bullet whizzed past her ear, narrowly avoiding having going through the same ordeal herself. As the smell of gunpowder permeated the air, Tsunayoshi found that she didn't want to know what Tsuna's last moments were like. The bullet struck the wood beside her head and Tsunayoshi turned around, eyes straining to catch any movement in the night.

_"Get out of your room. The door is right behind you. Open it while still facing the direction in which the bullet came from." _Tsuna's voice came as a great source of comfort for her. Though she's currently Vongola Decimo, her combat skills are not up to scratch. She didn't have to go through pressing situations such as the fight with Mukuro that she vaguely remembers, or the fight against the Varia that Reborn had told her about.

Her hand fumbled for the doorknob. Just as she's about to turn the gold gilded handle, another bullet came flying out of the darkness and pinged off the metal. She jumped to the side, the bullet scraping a thin line across her back.

It burned, but she didn't cry. Her duty as Vongola Decimo beckons.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all who reviewed the previous chapter!

**Reviewers: 10th Squad 3rd Seat, PockoChi, Milk Loly, R.N. Saints, aLittleBlue, phppsmss, Princess Arcs Di Cielo, Bishi-bishi, Pineapple-head830, krizhna14, Aya-chan's Alice, ezcap1st, lulileor, Elle von Werner, TunaSFX**

Kudos to those who showed their support in a more silent way...equal amounts of gratitude goes to those who thoughtfully alerted and faved this story. Thank you all so much! I really appreciate it!

So. How did you think of the new chapter? Questions, comments and critique is all welcome! My beta reader **AppleDragon**is taking a short break because she just finished her exams (Congrats!), so all the mistakes are mine. Feel free to bash me over the head with a club if you spot any atrocious errors. Once again, please review!


	3. Smoke

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!  
Rating: T

* * *

_Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me,_

_Saying that now you are not as you were..._

_~ The Voice by Thomas Hardy_

* * *

Gokudera snuffed out his fourth cigarette of the day. He coughed lightly to expel the smoke in his lungs, reaching into his pocket to draw out another stick. He fiddled with it slightly, rolling the smooth cylinder between his forefinger and thumb. Leaning heavily on the balcony railings, he shook his head and slipped the nicotine stick back into his pocket.

_For Jyuudaime. _He thought. Tsuna had always berated him for constantly smoking, and he supposed this is the best he could do for the late Vongola boss. _The only Vongola boss I'm going to obey._A bitter taste rose up in his throat, bile smothering his senses for a brief moment. He remembered the slick coolness of the gun in his hand, the blood that splattered his body after he pulled the trigger. The slow motion of Tsuna toppling onto the dirty ground, the blood seeped earth of the battlefield. The smile that was plastered on his face, even after his heart is no longer beating.

Gokudera huffed angrily let the wind ruffle his hair lightly. He took a lungful of oxygen, straining his lungs so much that it hurt. Jyuudaime would never breathe like this again. Instead, all that's left of him, is that fake, that _imposter _in the other room.

Gokudera stilled suddenly. He could've sworn that something sounded in the other room, though it was just a slight whistle of something blowing through the air. To his trained ears, it sounded uncannily like the sound of a bullet from the barrel of a silencer gun. He stood in absolute silence, and the crack of woodwork only confirmed his suspicions.

Without wasting any time, Gokudera stumbled out of the room. He banged on Tsunayoshi's door, feeling lightheaded due to the panic that was swimming around in his head. Even though he held no devotion to the woman behind the door he was currently kicking at, Reborn would still have his hide if anything happened to the new Vongola Decimo. He screamed out some cusses and continue his strenuous banging, gaining satisfaction from the way the old mahogany wood bent under the force of his thundering fists.

"OPEN UP! OPEN UP, DAMN IT!"

Someone grabbed his shoulder and Gokudera whipped around, acting like a cat with hackles raised. He only had a few seconds to register Yamamoto's clueless yet worried smile before Gokudera's instinctual reaction told him to lash out and he slugged him in the stomach. Yamamoto let out a yelp of shock and stumbled backwards.

"Maa, Gokudera, what did you do that for?"

"Shut up, yakyuu baka! There's something behind the do-"

Another whistle of a bullet cut him off. Gokudera scowled and continued trying to bash the door open. Damn the stupid idiot for locking her fucking door. Yamamoto soon joined him, having realized the situation. "Oi, I said OPEN UP! ARE YOU D-"

The door blew outwards and Gokudera was immediately thrown onto his back. Yamamoto dived to the side, the splintered shards of the wooden door narrowly missing his face and neck. Gokudera scrambled back up, ignoring the painful feeling of splinters being driven into his palm. He coughed and groaned when he felt some of the dusty debris crawl agonizingly down his throat. Yamamoto offered him a helping hand but Gokudera ignored the offered appendage purposefully. He pulled out a couple of sticks of dynamite and carefully walked into the room.

"Oi, Tsunayoshi." Yamamoto swallowed thickly and pulled out his Shigure Kintoki, following in Gokudera's footsteps. The dust from the explosion was still settling and the two guardians couldn't make out much in the gloomy darkness of the room.

"Tsuna...Tsunayoshi?" Yamamoto called hesitantly. Gokudera shot him a sharp-eyed glare. Yamamoto had been about to call the imposter by Boss' name. And that was something unforgivable in Gokudera's eyes. He would've spent time reprimanding the oblivious guardian if it weren't for the fact that a bullet had just struck his forearm.

Blood rolled thickly off his skin. Gokudera let out a grunt as he slumped against the wall. _Was this how Jyuudaime felt as he was peppered with the bullets? Did he have to deal with this pain as well? _Yamamoto was in front of him in an instant, sword drawn and stance steady. Gokudera pulled himself upright with difficulty, still unused to the feeling of pain lancing up and down his arm. He shoved Yamamoto aside with a quick muttered "I'm fine." Yamamoto gave him a curious glance but didn't question it. There was something else they needed to deal with first.

A quick burst of flame caught their attention. There was Tsunayoshi, standing in nothing more than her nightgown. The previously white nightdress was now splattered with dirt. Smoke curled around her small figure, shrouding her torso with wisps of delicate grey. She raised her hands and Gokudera saw that they were flaring with the bright Sky flame. Her tied up brown hair fluttered backwards, and Gokudera's eyes widened.

"Jyuu..." He started, his eyes glazed over with the terrible memories of that night.

"GOKUDERA! MOVE!" Someone crashed into him and Gokudera is pushed backwards and into the splintered wall. He grunts with the impact of the hit and grips the person with one hand. He drags her upright and shakes her. Tsunayoshi looks back at him, dazed, blood trickling down from her forehead and wetting her hair. "O...oi..." Gokudera props her against the wall and pulls out his box weapon, automatically letting Uri take charge of the situation. Yamamoto is still up and fighting, his sword flashing in what little light was trickling through the curtains.

Tsunayoshi shakes her head, flecks of blood staining the wall with the movement of her brown locks. Gokudera grabs her and shoves her back down when she tries to stand up to continue her battle. She struggles fiercely and Gokudera has to bite back a few choice words to concentrate on keeping her down. Unconsciously, he places one hand on her stomach and another on the side of her face, looking for the source of the blood. Tsunayoshi freezes.

_Don't smile unless you mean it._

She lets out a choked laugh, the first laugh that Gokudera has ever heard come out of her mouth. Gokudera snarls impatiently, having overcome his shock of hearing the twisted noise coming from the girl's body rather quickly. He quickly frowns as he finds the carved line in her back, the initial grazing of the bullet. There was another cut on her face from where the blood was trickling slowly downwards, marring her pale complexion. As far as he could see, there haven't been any bullet penetration, though he still felt the need to be careful. _Especially with what happened to Jyuudaime. _Gokudera swore and tore off the end of his shirt, using the cloth to staunch the blood flow. She pushes him off roughly, eager to get back and fight.

"Yamamoto's taking care of it!" He reassures her, slamming her back down none too gently. She lets out another cry as her injured back hits the wall again and Gokudera flushes. Wasn't it a rule in the Mafia not to harm women? He grunts a rough apology and wraps the cloth around her waist, tearing off another piece to dab against her forehead.

Lost in the confusion of the smoky room, it wasn't clear when the battle had seriously started or ended, or even when the victor of the battle was declared. The only thing that registered in Gokudera's mind was that it had ended as soon as he saw Yamamoto walking out of the cloudy surroundings, his bloodied Shigure Kintoki dragging on the ground. When Gokudera asked him if he had killed the unknown assailant, Yamamoto shook his head, a relieved expression passing through his face briefly before it turned serious once more.

* * *

_Tsuna had been feeling worse and worse in the coming weeks. He felt that his limbs were getting heavier, that it took more of an effort to get out of bed every morning. Eventually, even Reborn stopped dragging him out of the covers and told Dr. Shamal to take a look at him instead._

_"He has a fever. A common cold, nothing to be worried about." _

_Of course, after that proclamation, Reborn had knocked him about a bit, claiming that he was too weak as a boss. Tsuna had taken it all in stride, simply smiling at the rough treatment. It wasn't like Reborn was going to kill him or anything. This was the extent of their relationship, this sadistic torture that Tsuna had to endure. Over time, Reborn had steadily grown more confident in Tsuna's capabilities, and Tsuna in turn had more confidence in what Reborn was telling him to do. To both Reborn and Tsuna, they were soon becoming an unstoppable, inseparable pair. _

_"Reborn?" Tsuna held a hand up to his head to stop the incoming barrage of blows. To his surprise, Reborn stilled his hand and instead gave him an amused smirk. _

_"What do you want now, Dame-Tsuna?" _

_Tsuna simply smiled. "What are my guardians going to be doing while I'm resting?"_

_Reborn gave him a deadly glare. "Whoever said you were resting, Dame-Tsuna? Didn't you hear Dr. Shamal? He said you only have a common cold. In fact, he said you shouldn't worry about it whatsoever."_

_Tsuna blanched at the bad news. At least Reborn didn't immediately follow through with the threat. Reborn gave him another smirk and left the room quietly, closing the door behind him. Tsuna flopped down onto the bed and sighed, clenching the blankets with a trembling hand. It wasn't his fault that he had a bad immune system. It wasn't his fault that he felt weak whenever he had a fever. It just simply wasn't fair. He felt like whining to somebody, and yet there was nobody to whine to. _

_The door opened hesitantly, the creaking of old wood filling the previously silent room. Tsuna raised his head sleepily; he had just been about to doze off. To his relief, it wasn't Reborn coming back to drag him to whatever hellish activity the arcobaleno had probably prepared. Chrome popped her head in and blinked._

_"Bossu.." She started, holding a tray of chicken soup. Tsuna smiled warmly at her and the shy girl smiled back, blinking self-consciously as she made her slow way across the room to deposit the tray carefully in his lap._

_"Thank you, Chrome!" Tsuna immediately praised, before taking a mouthful of the warm soup. Tears sprung to his eyes, both because the soup tasted like his mother's, and also because it was way too hot. Chrome handed him a napkin silently, smiling softly as he brushed away the tears and stuck out his tongue to cool it off. Tsuna let out a torrent of mumbled complaints, and Chrome sat down to listen to each and every one of them. _

_In times like these, Tsuna really was glad he had his guardians...no, his friends around with him. He didn't know what he would've done without them. _

* * *

Tsunayoshi blinked blearily, her limbs feeling heavy as she automatically tried to raise her arms to stretch. She coughed and glared at the IV drip attached to her hand and promptly started tearing the tape off the tube so that she could pull it out.

Someone tapped her hand gently and stopped her from completing her motions. She raised her head to look up at the female Mist guardian, her eyes widening slightly in recognition. Chrome stared back sadly. Even though the rest of the guardians didn't like this new girl, this new _bossu, _Chrome didn't think she deserved all the ostracizing that was going around. It wasn't like she asked to be brought to the world. It wasn't like she was the one who held the gun to kill Tsuna when he was in the middle of a raging battle. It wasn't like she wished for anything bad to have happened to the previous Vongola Decimo.

In a way, Chrome could relate a lot to this girl. She had been hated as well when she was first brought into the world, by parents and classmates alike, hated because she had been a nuisance, or because she was not needed. Tsunayoshi was being hated because she resembled and replaced someone that everyone cared for dearly, she was hated because a lot of the Vongola members _thought _she was not needed. Chrome, however, believed that everyone had a role to play in the world that they lived in. This was only established even further when she reminisced about her memories with Mukuro-sama, and how sheer coincidence with the master illusionist had saved her life. Chrome could only hope that she was living her purpose properly.

Gokudera pushed the door open and let out a snort of disgust when he saw the two girls sitting almost comfortably side by side. Chrome suppressed the urge to jump up and move away from Tsunayoshi. It was human nature to avoid being hated on, and she didn't want a repeat performance of her pathetic past.

Chrome's eyes followed Gokudera's figure to rest on his arm. The upper part of his arm is swathed in bandages, the white of the cloth covering the red, raw wound underneath. She felt Tsunayoshi sit up a bit more, shifting nervously in her sheets. Gokudera refuses to turn to face Tsunayoshi properly, and Chrome gave the bedridden girl a nervous, slanted gaze. Tsunayoshi looks down, refusing to acknowledge the pity held in that gaze.

"Oi, woman, go get Tsunayoshi some soup or something." Gokudera left soon after, refusing to make eye contact with either of the girls. Glad for something to do, Chrome immediately jumps up and leaves the room, tracing after Gokudera's footsteps. Tsunayoshi watches them leave.

* * *

_The soup was gone in an instant, Tsuna scraping the spoon in the bowl a few more times to get the last few dregs of the liquid. His mother's soup really was delicious, and he wished he could have some more. He flicked his gaze to Chrome guiltily; his slow consumption had probably made the girl wait for him to finish drinking the soup. He had tried to persuade the purple-haired girl to go do her own things first and tried to assure her that he could bring the bowl to the kitchen herself, but Chrome had been adamant about staying._

_Nevertheless, it was safe to assume that Tsuna did enjoy her company. They had chatted softly about mundane things, about how Chrome herself was doing and how her training was going. Chrome inquired about Tsunayoshi's paperwork, and had to spend half an hour enduring a whine-fest from the boss about how the paperwork is pure evil. She had giggled quietly through the whole thing, and even though Tsuna was doing the complaining, he couldn't help but smile. He enjoyed making others laugh, in the good way of course. _

_Later on, Reborn had come in and told him that that was all he had to train for the day. Tsuna had sighed happily and Reborn had smirked at Tsuna's relief. Tsuna obviously thought that Guardian bonding was better than combat training. Of course, the Arcobaleno then set to crush the boy's hopes with the next sentence._

_"Tomorrow, you'll be having Hibari as a visitor."_

* * *

The door opened and shut again without another sound. Chrome found herself facing the new Vongola boss again. Her hands started to tremble. She was never quite good at making new friends.

"Guardian bonding?" Tsunayoshi inquired softly, taking the purple-haired girl by surprise. Chrome looked around. She hadn't mentioned anything about guardian bonding, but the words brought a sad smile tugging at her lips. She remembered all the times she was sent to bring food to boss' room, and ended up staying longer than required, chatting about useless topics and opening up to the Vongola Decimo in general. She missed those days, missed seeing the warm smile on Tsuna's face. The feminine, unsmiling face in front of her was similar in a different, painful way.

Tsunayoshi quickly shook her head when Chrome inquired about the sudden outburst. There really was nothing to talk about on the subject of guardian bonding. The guardians refused to interact with her, and she stayed away from them to keep them happy.

"Um..." Chrome starts, stuttering over her words. Without Tsunayoshi noticing, Chrome had tightened her grip on the tray. The soup bowl clattered, shocking the both of them. Tsunayoshi frowned at her and Chrome blinked rapidly to clear away the tears already forming. What if the new _bossu _hated her? What if they weren't able to get along at all?

Tsunayoshi watched curiously as the girl made her way around the bedside table to place the tray on her lap with practiced ease. The soup sloshed noisily in the bowl and Tsunayoshi hurriedly placed a hand on the ceramic to still the bowl's movements. Chrome passed over a spoon, and Tsunayoshi took it from her without a word of thanks, staring down at the bowl of chicken broth as if trying to discern if any poison was added as part of the ingredients. Obviously deeming the soup safe after a while, Tsunayoshi brought a spoonful to her mouth. She blew on it carefully before sticking it in her mouth.

Chrome coughed awkwardly and Tsunayoshi snapped her head back up to look at the girl. Chrome took the customary frown as displeasure with her staying here, so she decided to retreat back into the hallway.

She placed one hand on the doorknob.

"Thank you." The two words caught her off guard, and Chrome turned around.

_Don't smile unless you genuinely mean it._

Tsunayoshi was smiling back at her.

* * *

_Tsuna spent the rest of the day hiding under the covers. Even Gokudera banging on the door, Yamamoto's laughter, Reborn's gun clicking couldn't prompt him to stick his neck back out. All in all, he felt quite ridiculous to be so scared of his Cloud guardian, but it wasn't like he asked for a murderous sadist to be part of his 'family'. Reborn practically gave Hibari an open invitation anyway._

_He fell into a restless sleep, dreams filled with painful tonfas and threats of biting. Birds twitter by his bedside the next morning, and he doesn't hear the door open. Nor did he hear the sound of footsteps approaching his bed. He didn't feel the weight of a hand on his blankets, but he did feel the coolness of metal pressed against his neck. _

_"Herbivore, stop hiding. I know you're awake."_

_"HIIIIEEEE!" Tsuna was tumbling out of the covers in an instant. He hit the floor with his sudden movements, much to Hibari's amusement. Hibari watched the Vongola Don scramble around and panic for quite a bit before deciding to drag him back into bed by the arm. Tsuna had been shaking the whole time, praying that Hibari wouldn't try to force feed him soup or anything._

_Hibari had placed the tray on the bedside table. As much as Tsuna was looking forward to drinking the delicious soup, he wasn't particularly keen on some 'bonding time' with his bloodthirsty cloud guardian. When Timoteo was still alive he had suggested, out of personal experience, that Tsuna get more acquainted with his cloud guardian so that they could work better as a team, and Reborn had taken that suggestion to heart, making sure that Tsuna worked with Hibari multiple times throughout the year, much to Hibari's chagrin and Tsuna's horror. To sum it up, Hibari probably had a lot of rage building up from their forced bonding times together. This meeting will not bode well. _

_Under Hibari's prompting, Tsuna was given the spoon and the soup. The trembling boy held the utensil carefully, his eyes darting to Hibari every few seconds. Hibari, just to spite the boy, kept his tonfas out and ready. _

_"Eat."_

_Tsuna obeyed Hibari's command without question. Funny, he mused. Wasn't he supposed to be the one who was slowly getting better at giving Hibari orders? And yet here he was, already a proper Mafia boss, being ordered around by one of his guardians. As if Hibari could read his mind, the onyx haired teen shot him a glare. The soup was probably being spooned into his mouth faster than Tsuna had ever drank soup before. Hibari gave him a satisfied smirk before leaning back into the chair beside his bed, closing his eyes._

_"Herbivore, let's play a game."  
_  
_Now where had he heard these words before?_

_"If you make any noise and wake me up, I'll bite you to death."_

_Five minutes of sweating and lack of eating eventually resulted in Tsuna deciding to eat outside. He carefully brought the tray out of the room, finding that he could move better again. He managed to close the door without incident, much to his surprise. His life was so hectic that any sliver of peace caught him by surprise sometimes..._

_"JYUUDAIME!" Ah, well maybe he spoke too soon._

_"Jyuudaime...what are you doing outside?" _

_Gokudera came running up to him, a blanket conveniently in hand. Where he had gotten that from, Tsuna really didn't want to know. Gokudera quickly draped the blanket over the Vongola Decimo's back, careful not to let any of the fabric trail into the soup. Tsuna quickly drained the rest of the liquid while Gokudera pestered him with questions. Eventually, Gokudera came to his own conclusion that Tsuna had been kicked out of his bedroom. And judging by the fact that he saw Hibari walking in this direction not too long ago, it wasn't too hard to figure out by whom Tsuna was kicked out._

_Gokudera charged into the room, dynamite blazing. Chaos ensued._

_Later on that night, Reborn visited Tusna in his new room. "Are you feeling any better, Dame-Tsuna?"_

_Tsuna shook his head mutely. Nevermind the fact that his fever was receding, half of his guardians are now in hospital too. Ryohei had joined in on the 'exciting, extreme boxing match', and Yamamoto had thought that Ryohei meant it was a 'free for all game' or something or another. Tsuna really didn't want to know how his guardians survived for seventeen years since their birth. Long story short, all of them are in hospital because they got 'severely beaten up' by Hibari. Tsuna guessed all that pent up rage had to go somewhere anyway. _

_"Oi, Dame-Tsuna, you still didn't answer me."_

_Tsuna sighed. "I don't know, Reborn..."_

_"In that case..." The familiar gun cocking noises reached his ears and Tsuna had his hands over his head before the sound really even registered in his mind. "Don't shoot me, Reborn! HIIIEE!" Reborn smirked._

_"If you don't get better for tomorrow's training, then I'll send Mukuro to visit you."_

_The next day, Tsuna's fever was miraculously healed._

* * *

Hibari really wasn't in the mood to deal with an injured boss right now. He had just found some important information regarding the box weapons and was working on compiling it into a legible report so that Kusakabe could distribute it to the other newly made Foundation members.

As he regarded the apparently sixteen year old girl in front of him, Hibari let his eyes narrow. Hibari Kyoya knew more than he let on. He knew that the girl Tsunayoshi, as everyone liked to refer to her as (he still called her 'herbivore'. Herbivore dead and herbivore alive didn't really make a difference to him) was a clone of the original Sawada Tsunayoshi. He knew that Tsunayoshi died because he was caught in the crossfire between two rivalling mafioso during their fight in Italy. He knew that the gunfire was apparently an accident, but he had his suspicions, and the person who started the crossfire on either side of the war had yet to identify himself and take the blame. He also knew, through common sense, that the girl should not be looking like she's sixteen years old, even if they cloned her. He suspected foul play, the speeding up of cells perhaps.

Hibari had managed to work everything out on his own, but there were still some major gaps in his knowledge of what had happened that night, and what had happened afterwards with the cloning. And Hibari Kyoya hated to be kept in the dark. He was going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took.

"Herbivore, who attacked you, when and why?" Tsunayoshi gave her cloud guardian a wary glance. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She trusted him with her life, just as she had trusted Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato to come out of the battle alive. She shook hear head and answered truthfully.

"I don't know."

Hibari let a scowl of annoyance cross his face, not caring what the girl thought. He would beat the answers out of her if necessary. There was probably a link between this attack and Sawada Tsunayoshi's death, and he wanted the information before anyone else. He glared at her and Tsunayoshi felt a chill shoot down her back. Hibari was fearsome, even though he didn't resolve to pulling his tonfas out yet. She resisted the urge to tremble at the thought of having to order him around sooner or later. Earlier on, Reborn had visited her and had told her that she better start taking up responsibilities like a proper boss or the rest of the Vongola may well fall apart right in front of her. How she was supposed to do so, Reborn had not mentioned. He had briefly talked about 'guardian bonding'.

Tsunayoshi puffed out her chest in an attempt to ward off any other cold glares. Hibari almost smirked if it weren't for the fact that he was trying for the intimidation factor. She looked like Roll when he was still training the hedgehog not to be afraid of his commands. A small animal ready to fight back when he or she was cornered.

"This is all I have." She held out a tattered piece of cloth, having hidden it in her pillow case when the others weren't looking at her. It was the only piece of the attacker that she had been able to get her hands on before Gokudera had restrained her and insisted that she didn't fight. She briefly remembered flashes of the fight, the feeling of the bullet curving into her back and drawing a burning line across her skin. The smell of gunpowder filling the room, the way she heard the assailant throw the bomb just as Gokudera started banging on the door. She hadn't been sure whether she was the only target, or the assailant had coincidentally chosen to enter the mansion through her door to get to one of the other guardians. She had suspected it to be the latter at first, as many didn't even know of her existence before last night's party, and she had thought that the other families were too quick to act. It must've been a well-planned attack if the timing was so conveniently coincidental.

When the attacker had thrown the bomb, she knew immediately that the assassin had been ordered to get rid of her primarily, but it would also do the attacker good if he or she could get some of the guardians out of the way as well. The bomb only proved to be an impulsive action; it was too sloppy for a concentrated assassin to waver from his or her primary target to throw a bomb and disrupt the surroundings.

Hibari pinched the piece of cloth between his forefinger and thumb carefully. He knew better than to destroy any of the DNA evidence that might still linger on the strip of black fabric. Although, he thought, the herbivore might have destroyed any lingering evidence anyway with the way she had been clenching it so casually in her fist.

"You might want to ask Yamamoto-kun too, because he was the last person to see the assailant." The girl lowered her head as if ashamed. "Gokudera told me to stop fighting after he discovered that I had almost gotten shot in the head." Hibari scoffed. Here was one herbivore who had regretted not going back out onto the battlefield. This was a first.

Hibari left without another word, letting the door fall shut behind him quietly. He resolved to find Yamamoto Takeshi as soon as possible to pull the answers out of the infuriatingly oblivious baseball player.

He didn't comment on how casual Tsunayoshi had been with offering evidence, chose not to notice how she had withheld the evidence from everyone else, almost as if she had been waiting for him to ask. He refused to ponder why she knew him so well.

* * *

Nightmares plague her sleep. She tossed and turned, tangled her hands into the blankets covering her body. Sweat beads her skin and she flicks it away with the palm of her hand. Panting fills the air, her legs kicking outwards violently. She screams soundlessly, her mouth gaping, the silence filled with untold cries of pain.

Miura Haru grabs the pillow beside her and presses it to her face, gasping. The musty air passing through the worn fabric seemed to calm her somewhat. Tears drip soundlessly down her face, soaking into the white of the pillow. Haru hiccupped and pushed the pillow off, turning it over to the other side so that she could continue with her interrupted dreams. Only, she didn't really want to dream anymore. Haru clenches her hands and brushes the sweat-matted hair away from her face anxiously, unwilling to close her eyes.

She stays like this until 3 am in the morning, darkening eye-bags already forming underneath her dull brown orbs. She sets the pillow aside and decides to go take a bath; her parents are heavy sleepers and they wouldn't hear her anyway.

Haru sits down at the kitchen table, one hand on a steaming cup of tea, the other pressed to her forehead in an attempt to push away the horrid images that keep popping up. After a while, she can't stand it anymore, and she stands jerkily, trailing to the door of her room. She stays there for another while, one hand tracing the rough surface of the hastily painted wood. The coolness of the material seems to calm her quite a bit, pulling her feelings away from her nightmares. Drenching and diluting her guilt.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter!

**lulileor, Aya-chan's Alice, BloodyDarkNaruto, Maso-chan, aLittleBlue, R.N. Saints, phppsmss, krizhna14, Elle von Werner, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, Ayz283 **and **ezcap1st. **Your reviews really mean a lot to me and I enjoy and treasure reading each and every one of them!

So, on to the latest chapter. How was it? I tried to incorporate some humor into the otherwise quite dark fic...not sure if it worked. As always, please review, everyone! I enjoy hearing your opinions!


	4. Repose

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Only character belonging to me is 'Tsunayoshi', the clone. That poor girl...  
Rating: T  
A/N: So I've finally carved out some time to write fanfiction again. Life is hectic, as always. I was a bit jetlagged, but I'm okay now, so hooray! As always, please enjoy the latest installment of this fanfic! Thank you so much for your support, everyone! Oh, and sorry if I got any major facts wrong. I kinda altered Gokudera's past to fit my plotline. Shh!

Repose

_Small feet pattered against the wooden floorboards. Gokudera turned a corner, yanking his body past those of lethargic maids shuffling about, doing their duty to the family. His eyes stung with unshed tears; his eight-year-old body trembling to hold in the weighty sadness that only an aged adult with the experience of the sinned should bear. _

_"Papa." He wanted to plead. Why did his father lie to him all this time? Why? His father was someone he had always looked up to. A man of unbelievable strength and sturdiness. Papa was like the old oak tree that was planted outside in the garden, just beside Gokudera's bedroom. The oak tree would constantly tap on his window in the soft evening breeze, almost as if it was checking on him._

_Like his father never did._

_"Papa..." He sobbed out loud this time. He couldn't take it anymore. He was eight. Too young, yet old enough to start understanding. _

* * *

A hushed, muffled atmosphere passed through the room. The wooden oak table was completely occupied, all seven seats taken. Jokingly, the late Vongola decimo had called it 'the round table', unconsciously putting himself as position for King Author, while his guardians happily took the role of the knights of the table. Gokudera's throat tightened and he looked down, running his hand along the rough grain of the table gently. It was so very different to the marble texture of the chessboard. So very different.

"I have an announcement to make."

Mukuro shuffled uncomfortably at the far end of the table, whilst Hibari had been assigned the seat diagonally away from him, the farthest away Hibari could be put without having to leave the room. Tsunayoshi sat right beside the skylark, seemingly uncaring of the deadly glares that Hibari kept on shooting her way. Gokudera growled and muttered under his breath, sighing and fidgeting once more. Having been assigned the seat next to Lambo Bovino, staying still was no easy feat. Lambo kept on whimpering quietly, clenching and unclenching his hands. His nose was full of snotty tears, his eyes watery and uncomfortable. Gokudera knew he was thinking of the old Tsuna, the big brother that he looked up to. That they all looked up to. And yet, there was something bothering him about the way Lambo was showing it so blatantly.

"Shut it." He growled, kicking Lambo, albeit softly. Lambo immediately turned away and wiped his nose on his sleeve, his tears smearing against the soft fabric of his cardigan.

"Maa, maa." Yamamoto immediately cut in. Gokudera gave him a pointed look, gesculating to Lambo's pathetically hunched figure. Yamamoto leaned over and rubbed the teen's back soothingly, smiling slightly as Lambo sniffled and muttered his gratitude. Gokudera turned away before he could snap at Yamamoto for smiling. Things weren't the same between the two of them anymore. Tsuna had always been the link for communication between the Storm and Rain guardians. Without the sky, neither one of the two can be contained, maintained. It will not storm and it will not rain. The two will stay separate.

Chrome sits, slightly squished, between Mukuro and Yamamoto. She makes the odd 8th member at the table, the original craft having been made for only seven people. Her stool is plastic, uncomfortable, glaringly different. She wrings her hands in her lap, tightening her hold on her own appendages and turning her nails white with pressure. It's almost as if she wants to tear her fingers off.

Tsunayoshi alienated her. She had given her a different chair, when the normal Tsuna would have ordered for another chair to be made in the exact same make of the original wooden high-backed seats, just so that she would feel included in the family. Right now, as all the guardians sat next to each other, flames lingering and touching, they all reached the same conclusion.

The Family is falling apart.

The sky is no longer keeping them together, keeping them safe.

* * *

_Steady, light rain pattered outside Gokudera's window. He yanks it open, and just as he does, he hears the rattle of someone jiggling his doorknob. A spike of pure panic shoots through his eight-year-old limbs. His heart pounds. He makes a leap and lands on the bough of the great oak tree._

_Fortunately, it was one strong enough to hold his weight._

_He shuffles along carefully, feeling the cracked bark beneath his fingers. Occasionally, flecks of brown would peel itself away under his nails, digging into his flesh. Pain works its way up his arm and he feels the pressure building behind his eyes again, the tears threatening to fall. His ears redden, strained with the effort of listening for his pursuers. _

_He caught the sound of the door in his room creaking open. Gokudera let out a muffled yell and started scrambling down the tree. He stepped lower, carefully, testing his weight against that of the branches. Finding one that seemed sturdy, he quickly shuffled along the branch, wincing when cold droplets hit his face, stinging his skin. His skin became tinged with a pale rosiness, blood thumping to battle cold and fear. _

_As he was streaking out of the gates of his home, he looked back. A crowd of men, with neat tailored suits and ties fluttering in the wind. No sign of greying hair, no worried bottle green eyes. No sign of his father._

_He doesn't care after all. Gokudera quenched the rising disappointment, swallowing it with the lump in his throat. He poured his anger into his legs and ran far, far away. _

* * *

"Just spit it out!" Gokudera snarled, thumping the table angrily with his fist. Yamamoto cast him a helpless look and quickly glanced away, a flicker of a grimace crossing over his face. It wasn't everyday that the happy-go-lucky baseball player would feel the need to express his displeasure, but today was one of those days.

"Oi, Gokudera!" He stood up, steady. His stance is firm. "Gokudera, maybe you should just wait to hear what she has to say. As much as you dislike the idea..." At this, Yamamoto glanced at Tsunayoshi quickly. "She's our boss now. She's the sky guardian now. She calls the shots."

"Tch, whatever. You don't understand. You'll never understand." Gokudera looked like he wanted to get up and storm out of the room, but he managed to stop himself from doing so. Instead, he sat down heavily, a dark cloud hanging over his expression. He waved his hand, telling Tsunayoshi to go on with whatever she wanted to say.

"Actually, I have two announcements." Tsunayoshi continued. Gokudera hated the way she sounded so confident.

"First of all, we're going to Italy. Vongola Nono requested our presence regarding the recent attack. He said that it's possible an enemy Famiglia had caught wind of the switch of leadership and may be exploiting this moment of weakness to damage the family. Vongola Nono wants to give us some advice on how we might be able to avoid being backed into a corner by an enemy alliance that must be forming as I speak." Tsunayoshi turned her steady gaze to Hibari. "Some members are looking to put a full report together to distribute to the members of the Famiglia, so everyone understands the situation. So everyone, we're leaving in two days. Please prepare everything you need to take. If you need any further information, please ask Reborn."

Hibari nodded back and stood up. He left the room without another word. Gokudera gaped and then quickly sent a snarl of displeasure in Tsunayoshi's direction. She had the cloud guardian eating out of her hand already. Why was the resolve of the rest of the Famiglia so weak? So disgustingly needy?

"This is ridiculous." Gokudera stood up and quickly stormed out. The rest of the room bathed in the silence of his abrupt absence, but Tsunayoshi seemed to take it in stride. The rest of the Family shifted in their seats. Mukuro was halfway out of his chair, ready to walk out as Gokudera had done. He held no such respect for the current boss. She was a weakling, one unworthy of his attention. Even though she held the same DNA as the previous Tsuna had done, he didn't feel the urge to possess her as he did whenever Tsuna was around.

"One more thing."

She was staring steadily back at the male mist guardian. Mukuro stayed standing, returning the stare with a few embellished chuckles of his own. Tension cackled in the air between the two of them, and Chrome looked like she wanted to intervene. Mukuro reluctantly backed down, sinking slowly back onto his seat. If he wanted to execute his plan, he needed to bide his time. He didn't need a face on confrontation at the moment.

"I'm changing my name to Sawada Kohaku." Her announcement was met with silence.

* * *

_The cave wall was damp with salt water. The air stung with tangy foam and spray. Gokudera huddled behind a rock, his backpack in one hand, his dynamites in the other. His torch batteries had run out quite a while before, so he had resorted to throwing dynamite at a soaked piece of driftwood in hopes that it would catch fire and provide him with an inkling of warmth. He found himself missing the comfort of his room, the downy softness of his sheets. He missed sneaking to the kitchen to avoid Bianchi's cooking and to steal his own meals. His stomach growled in response to his mouth watering thoughts, and he sat down._

_He put his head between his legs and let out a choked sob. The men hadn't chased him beyond the gates of the mansion. It was almost as if his father had told them to back off. It was almost as if they wanted him to leave. _

_Gokudera still remember one of his fondest memories with his father. He had just turned three, and his mind was already churning with the creativity and intelligence that was abnormal for a child his age. He read scientific articles without difficulty, wrote up formulas of his own without help from adults, performed his own experiments and came out successful. He had recently finished researching the way an airplane flies and had built his own remote control airplane. Naivety and excitement to show off his creation had filled his body, and he had expected his father to respond likewise. _

_Gokudera closed his eyes. He wanted to rest for a while. So simple and innocent, he had been. Now he was smarter. He had surpassed, grown out of his childish innocence._

* * *

_The hallways were still strewn with streamers and leftover bits of cake from Gokudera's third birthday. His birthday had held a special atmosphere, an overwhelming amount of happiness and celebration shadowed with a small splash of anxiety laced through the expression of all the attending adults. Gokudera had noticed it, but he didn't speak on it, choosing to focus his childish energy on chomping away at his cake. He spent the rest of the day fiddling with a set that a Family scientist had given him, taking the electronic parts apart and putting them together again to form his own version of a flyable airplane._

_"Papa..."_

_Gokudera had tugged on his father's sleeve. His father was too busy writing something down on paper to pay any attention to him. "Papa...answer me, papa!" The man lifted his head finally, but not with the tender look that a father might give a pesky son. His expression was full of irritation, impatience. He couldn't wait until Gokudera left the room to go do something else._

_Gokudera had gulped, and the man's sternness softens, albeit slightly. Gokudera still remembers the trepidation, fear that came with meeting a strong individual such as his father. He had looked up to the man as all doting sons did. He only dared to wish that his father would pay more attention to him. To his delight, he had finally captured his father's full attention. His happiness had faltered when his father raised his hand and gave Gokudera a heavy pat on the head. Gokudera winced. His Papa was treating him like nothing more than a dog! He didn't want pats on the head. He was 3, already old enough to wear his own clothes and take care of himself!_

_"What is it, Hayato?"_

_Gokudera smiled and stepped forward eagerly. His father called him by his first name! This only meant that he was in a good mood, or a praise was on the way. Gokudera seldom got praises; rather, he often got scolded, usually for sneaking into the kitchen to pinch food when his sister wasn't looking._

_"Papa, I learnt..." Gokudera rambled on about scientific equations, leaving his father's head reeling. He was proud to have sired such a wonderful, intelligent heir, but sometimes it was just troublesome. Gokudera reminded him that he was getting older, and his knowledge was becoming more and more limited as his famiglia became harder and harder to control. Underhanded dealings seemed to become more frequent, especially amongst family members whom he had trusted before. Gokudera didn't understand the immensity of the situation, didn't understand the duty that came with being a boss. To think that he had even considered making this bright son of his heir to the family...it was a burden. It wasn't a gift at all._

_He nods absentmindedly as he takes the sheet of paper that Gokudera eagerly hands him. He scratches his head upon seeing such complicated symbols, slightly wondrous. If such a young mind could produce work up to a genius standard, then surely an old, experienced geezer such as himself could save his Family?_

_Pride clung to his already battered heart. His son Hayato and his daughter Bianchi may be the only ones left. Bianchi had already started training as an assassin, what with her uncanny ability to be able to use her cooking as weapons. His heart had already suffered through the pain of knowing that his daughter was being thrust into life and death situations on a daily basis. He couldn't stand it if Hayato was also forced into this decision because he was of mafia upbringing.. He would hang on a bit longer, if only to ensure that Gokudera could have a fulfilling childhood. If only to extend the time before Hayato would become a ruthless killer himself._

_I can hang on to a few more years, he promised himself. I can do this._

_With new determination, he continued signing the execution papers of the family member that had just betrayed him by pilfering information to the enemy famiglia. He was probably standing ankle deep in a pool of blood, blood of both his enemies and his allies and his family members, but he didn't care. He was killing to protect the Family._

_Gokudera smiled at his father's nod of approval and then quietly tiptoed out so that he wouldn't bother his Papa. How impressive he looked, so focused on his important paperwork like that!_

* * *

"Hayato." Someone called. Gokudera jerked upright.

His boss was calling him. That was Tsuna's voice.

His heart swelled with disbelief. Who was he kidding? He had watched...no, he had let his boss die right in front of him! He had seen the bullets, the blood...

But his feet were bringing him steadily to the door. He unlatched the lock dazedly, completely unconscious of his actions. All he wanted to do was see if it was really Tsuna. When he finally yanked the door open and found himself face to face with a pair of caramel brown eyes, his heart almost stopped.

"Tsunayoshi." He growled, once he came back to his senses.

"My name is Sawada Kohaku." She replied.

Gokudera glared at her. He moved, courteously allowing her to enter his quarters. Normally, he would've slammed the door in her face. But that voice had not been hers, he was sure of it. Tsuna and this new 'Kohaku' shared the same tone when they speak, but Kohaku's voice was definitely higher pitched. The voice calling his name was not hers, he was sure of it.

"Sawada Kohaku." He muttered, feeling the name weighing heavily on his tongue. 'Kohaku' means 'amber'. She had chosen to tribute Tsuna's golden amber eyes when he was in dying will mode. Gokudera took it as an offense.

"So what do you want?" He growled, wishing she would just turn around and leave the room.

"I want to know why you aren't obeying me, Hayato." There it was again. That voice. Gokudera had frozen in shock. It was the strength and power that came through with the voice that he found familiar. The tone and pitch, pronunciation, it was Tsuna. He had come back from the dead.

Gokudera struck her. He couldn't help it. Not when she was imitating Tsuna's voice. That was the last insult he would take to Tsuna's memory. He will not stand for someone imitating his boss's voice.

Kohaku landed against the mirror, the glass shuddering but not shattering. She let out a small cough and clenched her hand against her chest. A bruise was forming rapidly on her cheek, which was already turning a stinging red. She looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with confusion and sadness.

But Gokudera wasn't looking at her. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide. The clenched fist he had been forming fell limply to his side. "Jyuu...Jyuudaime..." He muttered.

In the mirror wasn't Kohaku's reflection. There was Tsuna, standing with a sad gaze fixed on his face. He was looking at Gokudera, his hands clasped in front of him, his forehead ablaze with his dying will. With his resolve. _"Hayato, I thought you trusted me. I thought you said you would stay loyal forever. You were the best right hand man I had ever hoped for. What happened?" _

_You died. _Gokudera wanted to reply. Tsuna fixed him with a disappointed look and turned his back on him, walking away. _"Don't you understand? I live in her. She is me. You're being blatantly disrespectful. I'm disappointed, Hayato."_Gokudera leapt forward, shoving Kohaku aside roughly. "JYUUDAIME! WAIT, JYUUDAIME...I..."

Kohaku let out a yell of pain as her shoulder collided with Gokudera's wooden closet, her head knocking against the edge of one of his shelves. She slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Gokudera clenched his fist and tapped it against the mirror. "Jyuudaime..." He whimpered pathetically, staring helplessly at his own unkempt reflection. Troubled green eyes stared back at him. His smoke-laced breath condensed on the mirror, staining it with a foggy texture. He stumbled backwards. There was no trace of the proud right hand man he had once been. His hair was limp and lackluster, looking like the wispy white strands one would find on an old man's head instead of the strong silver locks he had once sported so proudly. His hands were trembling badly.

"Mukuro, if that was you, I'll kill you." He muttered. Silence met his words, only punctuated by ragged breathing from the unconscious girl beside his closet.

Gokudera took the silence in, letting it sink into his consciousness.

He dropped to his knees and pulled Kohaku to him, cradling her gently. His tears dripped onto her closed eyelids.

How many more times will he fail his beloved Jyuudaime?

* * *

_He swept his hand through his hair, taking out a lit cigarette and sticking it between his lips. This was a bad habit of his; smoking when he was troubled. He watched the retreating back of his son and he clicked the radio transistor button._

"Stop chasing him. Let him go. He'll come back eventually."

_He knew Hayato wouldn't. Hayato was much too smart for that. His heart drowned with the weighty feeling of failure. He had failed his son. He had failed his beloved late wife. He had failed his family._

_The pursuers filed into his room, head down, regretting their failure of finding and recapturing their don's boss. Gokudera's father bowed his own head in mourning. It was better for his son this way. His Famiglia was falling apart._

_A pile of resignation letters filled his desk. But resignation was not a choice in the Mafia world. It was an open declaration of rebellion, an open declaration of renouncing their loyalty to him. Gokudera's father knew that this wasn't a place to raise a son, never mind one as bright as Gokudera. Bianchi was already knee deep in Mafioso affairs. There was nothing he could do about that, as much as it displeased him to know that his daughter was fighting professional assassins every day. He couldn't bear the thought of coming home to find out that one of his children had died. _  
_  
With Bianchi, it was okay, he had reassured himself. She was under the guidance of the greatest hitman, Reborn. She was protected. Reborn won't let her die._

_That only left Hayato. _

_The only way to save his son was to push him away._

_He had stationed those gossiping maids. Stationed them by the kitchen doorway, knowing that his son would try to bypass them to steal his meals. Knowing that his son would hear the terrible truth. Knowing that he had laced those gossips with horrible rumors about how he let his wife die, about how he wouldn't marry her because it'll look bad for the family._

_Looks like Gokudera believed him. _

_He wanted his son back, but at the same time, he urged Gokudera to stay away._

_And with that resolve, knowing that his son was out and away from the true source of danger, he found new strength in himself. His fingers found the strength to wrap around the sturdy handle of a gun. His voice found the strength to command. _

_"We're purging." He commanded. _

_Stamp out the rebellion. _

* * *

Only when Kohaku stirred in his arms did Gokudera dare to stand up. He gently placed her on his bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. He grabbed a new set of clothes and headed to the shower.

Kohaku woke up to the sound of trickling water. She blinked blearily, noting the new spike of pain shooting through her temple. Normally, she would've been able to stay standing, but the hit had been perfect. Now how would she gain Gokudera's respect? She had been taken out by a single, careless gesture!

The sound of someone approaching had her trying to sit up. Her head reeled and her mouth was flooded with the all too familiar taste of nauseous bile. She shook her head and stopped when it worsened her condition.

"Don't do that." Someone commanded her. A damp hand was placed on her forehead.

She blinked up, only to come face to face with concerned emerald orbs. There was Gokudera, dressed in a clean, pressed suit. His hair, still wet from the shower, was combed back neatly. He had his storm ring on his finger again. She looked past him and saw that his packet of cigarettes was firmly lodged in the trash can.

"Whunh?" She muttered, confused. Gokudera's eyes shone with amusement. He had heard Tsuna mutter the same phrase with the same confusion many times before.

He knelt before her, taking her right hand into his own. Kohaku blushed involuntarily. What is Gokudera thinking? Why this sudden change?

"I, Gokudera Hayato, swear my loyalty to the new Vongola Decimo, Sawada Kohaku. Please accept me as your right hand man. I swear on my life I will not fail you anymore, Jyuudaime."

And before Kohaku could even react to his words, he had pressed his lips to the ring on her right hand, sealing his promise for as long as she lived.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to all those who reviewed the previous chapter! **TunaSFX, BloodyDarkNaruto, xxTenshichaN25xx, Ayz283, lulileor, juz-a-reviewer, ezcap1st.**

I changed Tsunayoshi's name because it was getting quite confusing. Kohaku does mean amber, and I did choose it as a tribute to Tsuna's dying will eyes. It fits her too! (Well I think anyway). :3

Sorry, the plot is going quite slowly now. More action and conspiracy in the next chapters, I promise! But for that, I need Gokudera's loyalty.


	5. Unexpected Appearances

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!  
Rating: T (should I move it up due to the vulgar language? I heard people were cracking down on fanfiction ratings, but I'm still not sure...tell me what you think :3)

Types of text (Just to clarify):

_"Tsuna speaking."_

"Kohaku or anyone else speaking."

_Thoughts_

* * *

_When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,_

_Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,_

_And think that I may never live to trace_

_Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;_

_~ When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be by John Keats_

* * *

Unexpected Appearances

* * *

Haru woke to a blinding pain in her right temple. Gasping, she pulled her hand to her head and stumbled out of bed. Her hands scrabbled against her dressing table, reaching for the usual bottle of painkillers that she'd kept there. When her reaching fingers met nothing, she finally opened her eyes in confusion, only to shut them again in disbelief. The person who was staring back at her in the mirror was not her. It couldn't be. How could her reflection be one of a disheveled madwoman?

Letting out a pitiful whimper, she stumbled into the bathroom and yanked on the tap. Disregarding the fact that she still had her clothes on, she stuck her head under the cold tap and shivered in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Finally, she had enough sense to turn the water warmer. She stepped out of her clothes quickly and set about to cleaning her body thoroughly. She cursed angrily when her hands got tangled in her matted hair. When was the last time she had actually taken a warm shower? The lack of her sense of time and self care scared her. Her movements became quicker, jerkier, trying to scrub herself all at once. She quickly grabbed a plastic comb and was in the process of detangling her hair when she heard the doorbell ring.

_Who in their right mind would ring the doorbell at 3 in the morning?_

She snagged a towel and quickly wrapped it around herself. The chaffing of the soft cotton against her skin comforted her to some degree, but as soon as she stepped out of the steam filled bathroom, a familiar sense of dread overcame her. She could hear her mother sleepily opening the door downstairs, and chose to quickly step into her room before the visitor could see her. She caught a brief glimpse of green hair before she slammed the door shut behind her.

"...ru? I'm really hon...as your intern! Th...wanted to go into design, but I th..."

The sounds of a hearty conversation reached her ears. Leaning against the door, she stopped to listen to the rest of the conversation. Most of it wasn't making sense, but that was only because of the foggy feeling that still lingered in her mind. Quickly dressing, she carefully searched her room for the bottle of painkillers. She spotted the white container underneath her bed and quickly pulled it out, popping two in her mouth. She was far too grateful for the relief that came almost immediately to question why the bottle was underneath her bed.

"Haru! Come down, there's someone here to meet you!"

Her father called for her, and she almost jumped at the sound of his voice booming through the house. Was it only her who thought it was weird that she had a visitor at three in the mo- oh. Glancing at the clock, she found that it was already 9 am. She was off by about 6 hours.

Shaking her head, she forced a perky smile on her face and jogged downstairs. Her father was, embarrassingly, dressed in his usual nightshirt and a pair of very sloppy pajama pants. Her mother was slightly better, having had the time to put on a presentable sweater and skirt and taking the time to comb her hair back and even brush her face up with some foundation and eyeliner.

"Who is it?" She mumbled curiously, self consciously twirling a piece of hair between her fingers. The unknown visitor gave her an arrogant smirk, and she immediately knew who it was. Choosing to play dumb, she gave him a look of confusion and swept her gaze from his vibrant green hair to his round glasses. The man was donned in a white lab coat even though he was obviously not in a laboratory. He held a briefcase loosely in his hand. His very posture assumed confidence, which Haru decided was a type of defense in itself. If he looked so confident, then how could her parents ignore the offer that was sure to come out of his mouth next?

"I would like to ask your daughter to assist me in an experiment that I am working on. I understand that she has chosen to be a science major in her school, and I assure you that this will be especially beneficial to when she applies for colleges. Considering her youth, it is extremely rare to start working in a national laboratory, nevermind be invited by the head scientist himself. Which reminds me, I have yet to introduce myself. You may address me as Professor Verde, or Dr. Verde, whichever one you like."

As soon as his name had come out of his mouth, her mother had been instantly won over. She ushered him to take a seat in their modest living room. Her father sheepishly trudged back upstairs to change into something more presentable. Haru helplessly hovered in the corridor between the living room and the stairs leading up to her bedroom. Sneaking back upstairs to dive under her covers was wishful thinking. She didn't want to face what was coming next, but even as she was trying to think of a way to excuse herself, her mother had come out to bring in a few cups of tea.

"Haru, what are you doing hiding out in the hallway? Come inside and greet Professor Verde properly! He is kind enough to have offered you a spot on his research team, so you better show him some respect!"

Haru did not want to show him any respect. Forced into the role of an obedient daughter, she scowled and dragged herself into the living room, slumping in the other available chair and giving him a defiant glare. Displeasure radiated off her, but Verde seemed unfazed. He only gave her a nonchalant look before graciously accepting the tea offered by Haru's mother.

"Miura Haru." He murmured, hands itching to go through the files in his briefcase. Haru shot him an angry glare. Her silent show of aggression was immediately stopped when her mother eagerly squeezed next to her daughter on the chair and clasped her hands together.

"Why did you want Haru-chan to work with you again? Is there any specific reason?"

Verde shook his head. "She has potential." He answered honestly. "I read her paper on genetics when I was visiting the school. It had been given to me as an example of exceptional work, and it caught my eye. The way she described the process suggested that she was familiar with these types of experiments, and since I was short of one assistant in my laboratory, I thought that it would be a good idea to invite her to be an intern and work for me for a few months. In fact, I can guarantee a permanant job for her if she would like it. It won't be that time consuming. I would only need her help for three hours on Saturday afternoons. Would you be interested, Miura-san?"

"Of course Haru-chan would be interested! We're both very honored that you would choo-"

"No. I don't want to go."

Verde didn't look very surprised at her outburst. He merely sat back and gave her a contemplative stare. Her mother, on the other hand, looked as if Haru had just slapped her in the face. She immediately started to berate her daughter for beingrude, but Haru was having none of it. She had worked with Verde before, and so she knew the terms and conditions of working with the Arcobaleno. She had gotten roped into something that she had never wanted to see, and it resulted in nothing but nightmares and pain for her. She had sworn that she would never go back to his laboratory, and had made good on her promise for the better part of the year. She was not about to give up her streak now. She didn't want anything to do with him! He was a vile, manipulative...

"The terms of our contract still applies. I recall you saying that you wanted him back?" Verde murmured softly. She froze in the middle of her mental tantrum, her heart almost stilling with the implications that came with his words.

"LAST TIME I WORKED WITH YOU, YOU KILLED TSUNA-SAN! I CAN NEVER FORGIVE YOU! You...YOU promised me that I would be helping Tsuna-san become a better person! You said that he was hurting inside, and you wanted me to help him! And now look what I've done. I...I don't want anything to do with you anymore! You ruined my life! Leave! GET OUT!"

Her mother gaped at her, unable to comprehend the scenario before her. There was her daughter, her sweet tempered, jovial Haru, shouting at a man that she has barely met. Where did the polite, energetic girl that she raised go?

"Miura Haru! Show some respect for Dr. Verde! He has kindly come and asked if you would like to work with him, and he has even offered to secure a permanent job for you in the future!"

The lump in her throat refused to go away. Haru let out a screech of rage and stomped out of the room, coming face to face with her surprised father. When he tried to stop her from leaving the room, it was the final straw. Her parents taking the side of the awful scientist was too much for her to take. She felt like she was on her own. Angrily stomping towards the main door, she ignored the pleads from her mother for her to stay and negotiate. She ignored the painfully disappointed look her father shot her. She ignored everything, blocking out their cries. Her family refusing to support her decision was her breaking point. She yanked open the door.

The barrel of a gun was pointed at her.

"I knew you wouldn't go willingly. Unfortunately, I need someone with a mind like yours. The death of Sawada Tsunayoshi was just a minor hiccup in my plan, but I assure you I can bring him back. I, however, can not assure the safety of your mother if you don't come with me."

"Bring him back? What makes you think I'll believe you!?"

She turned, only to be met with a sight that she would never forget. Someone had a gun pointed at her father's forehead. It was a shot that would kill him immediately, should the trigger be pressed. She gulped angrily and felt the familiar sting of tears against her eyes. Verde gave her another devilish smirk, and she swallowed the lump in her throat bravely before throwing herself at the gunman in a rare act of bravery.

It should be known to all mankind that the speed at which a body travels will never equal the speed of a bullet.

The shot rang out clearly, before Haru was even halfway across the room. She let out a cry of anguish and tumbled into the man, shocking him into dropping his gun. His head hit the shoe cabinet behind her, and for the first time in her life, Haru saw red. She lifted her fist and smacked it down hard onto the man's head, and was rewarded with a savage crunch. Vaguely, she could hear her mother screaming in the background, Verde chuckling. She realized that the man beneath her was no longer breathing, and finally, finally...she lost her mind.

* * *

Call it Vongola hyper intuition, but Sawada Kohaku knew something was wrong. She had woken up from her light dozing with a fierce headache and a strange yearning to scream. She wrote it off as the pain bothering her and scrambled upright tiredly. Reaching to her side table, she flicked the light on and watched as the warm glow chased the darkness away.

For the past few days, the headquarters had been bustling with activity as she prepared to move to Italy with her guardians. After Gokudera had sworn his loyalty, the rest of the guardians had grudgingly conformed to his decision. Although, some of them seemed more relieved. Lambo had taken to calling her 'Nee-chan' almost immediately, which warmed her heart but at the same time reminded her of the loss the youngest guardian had to suffer through.

Might as well continue to pack, she reasoned. Her room was already strewn with boxes filled with clothes and whatnot. Some of the boxes are filled with her personal arsenal of weaponry, which she had refused others to touch. Some of the guns were melded together in the most peculiar or way, which was a secret she didn't want anyone else to know.

Imagine the Vongola's surprise when they find out that the new heir to the family can't control her flames properly yet.

She had been trying to use her flames properly for a while now. It was an on and off experience. Sometimes she would be able to send out a powerful stream, still weaker than what Tsuna had been capable off, but enough to burn something quite badly. Other times, her flame fluctuates with her feelings, spiking and falling and sometimes dwindling to a mere spark. In those times, she hardly wants to talk to anyone, feeling pathetic and useless. She had been told repeatedly that she would have the same powers of the late Decimo, but she had not been able to harness most of it yet.

Her bemused thinking was cut off by another fierce feeling of anxiety settling in her stomach. She blinked and stood, pacing around the room. Was it that someone was outside the window, waiting to assassinate her?

She walked to the window. Her intuition stayed at a dull, persistent level of worry. Nothing indicated that anything was especially wrong with the window. She wandered over to the door. The same feeling. Still nothing. Clenching her hands, she decided to go to the bathroom to take a shower. Perhaps that would clear her mind.

Yet, as soon as she stepped foot in the bathroom, her intuition went haywire. Her head rang with screams of unknown people, gunshots. The smell of blood permeated the air, but she was sure that this was all just happening inside her mind. She walked blindly forward and felt for the light switch. The room seemed all too dark for a moment. She couldn't find the switch.

Something moved in the room, and she almost jumped out of her skin. It was her reflection in the mirror. Fear was a new emotion to her; the scientists had taught her not to be afraid of anything, not even when someone was pointing a gun at her face. She was used to being calm and collected, but the darkness had caught her off guard.

_"HARU!"_Someone screamed, and this time she really did jump. It had come from the mirror.

There, she was met with a familiar face. Tsuna stared back at her, unable to tear his eyes away from her, as she was staring into the mirror intently. His eyes were dazed and he seemed to be looking right over her shoulder into the far distance. His mouth was open and he had tears in his eyes. And then he snapped his attention onto her, and she was struck by the coldness she identified in his eyes. Even though she hadn't met him in real life, Tsuna was supposed to be a warm person, not some mad, anger-driven killer of sorts. But that was how he looked right now.

_"Go save her. GO SAVE HER!"_

Kohaku stumbled backwards and out of the bathroom. She had no idea who this 'Haru' person was, but she must be important to Tsuna for him to be reacting this strongly. Her flame spiked dangerously and she felt her own emotions getting overwhelmed by senseless anger.

"Stop controlling me..." She murmured. The feeling stopped immediately, but a profound sadness hit her instead. Whatever had happened, it was too late. Her intuition was not ever going to be the same as Tsuna's was either. She was just a fake Vongola, with fake hyper intuition and fake flames. Nothing but a replacement so that the senior advisors this family could push her around and make the Vongola Don do their bidding.

_"If you aren't going to go save her, I will." _

She found that her body would no longer do her bidding. Her arms lifted of their own free will and blasted a powerful flame. She clenched her teeth as she hurtled through the bulletproof glass of her bedroom window...and then the wind was whistling past her face. Her hands angled backwards and she shot off into the sky, ignoring the sirens screeching below her as Vongola mafioso searched anxiously for their lost boss.

Namimori fell away below her, spreading out like a map. She spotted the shrine in the distance, surrounded by towering trees. Briefly, she located a dim 'memory' she had of fighting Lal Mirch there, and then seeing Hibari in his older form. It was what Tsuna had gone through. It was part of the memories of Tsuna that made him stronger.

_"That's better. You're getting the hang of it. We have to get stronger, otherwise we won't be able to protect, remember? This is what our existence is for." _

"Help me get stronger." She whispered back, and was rewarded with a sudden boost in flames. Her flames had turned from a bright burning orange into a clearer, almost see-through flicker of orange. She sliced through the air like a knife through butter, gaining speed. She had no idea where she was going, but almost as soon as she had sped up even more, the flames on her hands died down. She found herself freefalling, but even then she wasn't scared. The sky was her element. She had no fear of heights.

* * *

A few minutes later, she found herself on a well trimmed lawn. The sun was not up yet, and no movement came from the house. All the lights were shut off, which wasn't unusual for 4 am in the morning.

Kohaku shivered. The early morning temperature was chilly and she had sped off without even grabbing her jacket. Tsuna was whispering anxiously in her ears, but she was tired. Her limbs were sore from flying, and she felt drained from letting out so much of her flame in such a short time. Staggering, she placed her hand on the side of the fence surrounding the house to take a short breather.

_"Haru's in danger! We have to hurry! She's going to get killed or hurt! Hurry!"_

Grumbling slightly, she slipped silently over the wall and crouched down, assessing the situation. Nothing moved. The air was silent, almost too quiet for her liking. Even at 4 am in the morning, she should be able to pick up some noises. Perhaps some snoring or shifting of blankets. Straining her ears, she was almost surprised when a loud snore rang out, followed by a sudden thump of blankets or something soft falling to the floor.

Deciding to trust her intuition instead of her senses, she continued to quietly creep towards the front entrance. Nothing struck her as out of place. The garden was neat, the grass was trimmed and covered with a light splatter of morning dew. Leaves rustled with the breeze. Another snore drifted out of the window and soft mumbling was heard.

"Nothing." She told Tsuna, confused.

_"I'm sure there's something. Keep going." _

She obeyed without question. Tsuna's intuition was probably infinitely more accurate than hers, and hers was keeping quiet for the moment.

The door opened soundlessly. Namimori was a relatively safe neighborhood, but there was still the threat of a common thug. What with the appearance of mafioso in the area after Tsuna had been named Decimo, it was even weirder for the door to be left unlocked. Kohaku slipped through the doorway and peered around warily. She didn't want to turn on the light to disturb the occupants of the house, nor did she want to wander around in the dark.

_"Light your flame then." _

"I might burn down the house." She protested, but nonetheless, she was already drawing on the reserves of her power. Soon, she had sparks fizzing out of the ring around her neck. She had chosen not to put the ring on her finger yet, as she was scared that the Decimo generation of guardians would look unkindly upon the gesture, so she had come to keep the Vongola ring around her neck.

The uneven lighting cast weird shadows on the walls. She kept on walking, only to slip in a wet puddle.

_Blood. Blood everywhere._

To her utter horror, the blood came with bits of greyish matter. Somebody's brains. A body lay face down besides the blood. Rising nausea rose in her throat, but she managed to keep the bile down and to start thinking calmly. Inside her mind, Tsuna was going absolutely crazy. He screeched in fury and shook angrily, pounding on the walls of her mind. Her flame flickered and flared unevenly and only her shock kept the flame from bursting forth and consuming everything.

_Calm down! Calm down! I can't think!  
_  
_"They killed her father! That's HARU'S FATHER! Where is she? Where is she!?"_

"HANDS UP!"

Thudding feet. Someone kicked down the front door. The floor shook with hurried steps and heavy footfalls. The lights clicked on and Kohaku found herself facing a group of armed men. She was completely surrounded, and covered in the victim's blood.

"We are arresting you on the suspicions that you are the murderer of Miura Fumio." One man claimed as he stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs.

Tsuna let out a growl of pure anger and again wrestled for the controls of her body.

The internal struggle caused her to go haywire. Before the men could pull the trigger, Kohaku had decked them across the face. Some went sprawling immediately, others regained their balance quickly and had their guns pointed straight at her head. But Tsuna had no intention of being arrested. Kohaku flailed and struggled even as they pulled the trigger. The fierce rattle of gunfire made Tsuna panic even more and in response, the flames around her neck flared sharply, sending her into another panic induced fit. Miraculously, none of the bullets hit her.

"Stop." Someone commanded, and Kohaku looked up.

_No way. _Tsuna murmured sleepily in her mind. He was tired from fighting for control; forcing his flames out. But even as his eyes closed sleepily and he drifted away from the controls of Kohaku's mind, he managed to take a good look at the person who was currently cuffing Kohaku's hands together.

Steely blue eyes. Titanium blond hair. A stern frown on his face.

_First generation Cloud guardian, Alaude? This isn't possible._

* * *

A/N: First of all, sorry for the EXTREMELY long delay. School had started up again for me, and I had to get all of my things in order. I'm doing the IB and I'm in Year 12, so for those of you who can sympathise, you'll understand why I had to stop uploading for a while.

Well, on a brighter note, my mid-term break just started! I'll write ahead this break so that I can upload more regularly for the following weeks.

Also, please check out the stories by Sanguinary Tide! If you like Hibari x OC stories, then you won't be disappointed with her writing! She's really good, and I really think her stories deserve more views and reviews. So please, if you're a fan of Hibari x OC or Hibari in general and don't mind reading some OC stories, check hers out and leave a little message. It would mean a lot to the both of us. Thank you!

Alright then, I'm done here. Any questions? Comments? Don't like how this story is going? Please keep up feedback. I really love hearing from you guys~


	6. Phoenix from the Ashes

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.  
Rating: T

Phoenix from the Ashes

* * *

"_I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time." ~Banksy_

Kyoko snapped her phone shut. Three weeks later, and Haru had not called her once. She heard that she had been scouted for some scientific project and had been happy for her friend, but all attempts at calling Haru had been unsuccessful. She knew her friend should be really busy at this time of the year, but that was no reason to ignore calls from a best friend.

Kyoko sighed. There was nothing she could really do about that. Ever since Tsuna-kun's death, her friendship with Haru had fallen apart. She had known that Haru had had a crush on Tsuna, and she had noticed that Tsuna had payed more attention to Kyoko herself rather than the girl pining for his love. At first she hadn't wanted to respond to Tsuna-kun's feelings, but ever since he had rescued her in the future, she hadn't seen him as the same 'Dame-Tsuna' everyone teased. He had obviously matured, and his kindness towards others was something that she admired. Tsuna-kun was accepting of everyone, and wouldn't hesitate to step in to defend someone he didn't know.

Slowly, Kyoko had come to accept her feelings for the clumsy teenager. And then he died.

He was killed by a burglar breaking into his hotel room and looking for money when he was staying in Italy, she was told.

She didn't believe any of it.

What Tsuna had told her in the future was something still fresh in her mind. Tsuna and his friends were dipping their fingers into dark waters. The Mafia wasn't a forgiving society, even Kyoko knew that much. But she had kept her mouth shut and silently accepted Tsuna's decision. Even when she heard from her brother that Tsuna had accepted his role as Vongola Decimo, she decided not to say anything. Even when her brother also claimed that he was going to serve Tsuna, because "Sawada is a man worth EXTREMELY serving as a subordinate...", she hadn't said anything. She hadn't complained when Tsuna took her brother and everyone else on a 'business trip' to Italy.

She attended his funeral a few days later.

And she remember feeling guilty that she was partly relieved that it was Sawada who died, not her brother. Relieved that now Tsuna-kun was gone, maybe her brother won't have to participate in this dark madness. Her brother was all she had left. Sawada had never really tried hard to make an impression in her life, choosing to stay apart so as not to put her in danger, so even as the feeling of guilt and depression wrapped around her neck and slowly choked her into suffocation, she never said anything. She cried at the funeral, only because it was polite to do so, but in reality, she thought she was too numb with shock to cry.

But she did notice, through a thin film of fake tears, that Haru had not shed one tear for the man she so loved.

* * *

She continued her morning stroll. Her brother was still working at the 'Vongola Headquarters' in Namimori, so though they were close physically, she hadn't managed to see him at all. She had wondered who Onii-san was serving under now that Tsuna-kun was gone. She supposed that not coming into contact with her brother more was partly her own fault. She hadn't gone looking for the headquarters since Tsuna-kun's death.

"KYOKO!" Speak of the devil and he shall come.

Kyoko smiled widely. "Onii-san! I haven't seen you in a while, Onii-san. Are you really busy all the time? Don't get too tired at work!"

Ryohei jogged up to her. He smiled warmly back at her, but immediately glanced around afterwards, as if someone had been chasing him. Kyoko shifted nervously and reached out to hold his hand. "Let's go somewhere to catch up on what's happening, Onii-san. The house is really empty without you, and I miss you a lot. How about a cake shop?"

"Kyoko, I need you to come with me immediately." Ryohei cut in immediately. Without giving her time to protest, he started heading back the way he had come, expecting her to follow. Kyoko tightened her grip on his hand and followed him nervously.

They walked in silence for a while, before Ryohei finally decided to speak.

"Have you been in contact with Haru recently?"

Kyoko was surprised to feel a spike of mild annoyance enter her heart at the mention of Haru's name, but she shook her head. "No, I haven't heard from her in a while, Onii-san. Is there something wrong?"

Ryohei unconsciously tightened his hold on his sister's hand. His steps quickened. "Are you sure? You haven't been receiving anything from her? Text messages, calls, even hand written letters?" He said.

"I haven't, Onii-san...I tried calling her a few times but she didn't pick up. Also, I heard that Haru had accepted a job somewhere from a very big company. Maybe she's just very busy...I'm pretty sure it's something to do with science or something." Kyoko replied.

"We must hurry then. Something is definitely wro-..."

Ryohei was cut off as Kyoko's mobile rang. He stopped and patiently waited for his sister to rummage through her bag, once more surveying their surroundings. They were by the last line of houses near Namimori's main street, and were just about to reach the steps to the Shrine. He had decided to take her through Hibari's entrance as it was easier to reach and harder to find.

Kyoko noticed her brother's edginess, but decided not to comment on it. He was in the Mafia, after all. Finally grabbing her pink flip phone, she eagerly flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Moshi moshi?"

"Kyoko-chan!"

"H...Haru-chan?"

* * *

The last few weeks had been exhausting for her. Haru had been put to work almost immediately, and though she had resisted, she now knew that she was no match for these people. They predicted her moves too easily and were far too strong for her to get past. She couldn't even throw a proper punch! Who was she kidding?

Five minutes after being taken to the institute, she had tried to run away. They had carelessly placed her in her 'bedroom' after strapping a weird metallic bracelet to her ankle, and it was easy enough for her to move around, so she had decided to try her hand at escaping. She never even made it to the door of her bedroom before the bracelet on her ankle had cackled and sent a jolt of pain into her leg. She had screamed and that had brought the guards running. They tied her to the bed and left quickly, leaving her whimpering in pain and curled up under the blankets.

Later on, she thought to check her ankle, and winced at the sight that met her eyes. Her ankle now sported a line of charred flesh, blisters and chaffed skin. The device had literally burned into her, and that was only a warning. She shuddered to think what the device was capable of when they wanted to eliminate her.

Since then, she had resigned to her fate. The image of her dead father had never left her mind, and she slowly but surely plotted to get out of here. She was sure that she could outwit the company's brawn with her brains, but the only problem was that the company had a formidable mastermind itself. The man she was forced to have tea with every single afternoon, to 'discuss her findings'. The head scientist and former Arcobaleno, Verde.

To rub salt in the wound, they had appointed her as head of the 'observation unit'. For the past three weeks, she had been observing the Vongola family and all their associates. It hurt her to watch Kyoko strolling down the streets casually, ducking into boutiques and cake shops. It hurt her to see Gokudera staring worriedly at computer screens with Gianini in the Vongola headquarters technology room. It hurt her to see Lambo hiding his tears, still recovering from Tsuna-san's death. It even hurt her to see Hibari calmly sipping his tea in his traditional end of the headquarters. Their lives went on, and they were unsuspecting of what was happening to her.

What hurt her the most, however, was Tsuna's replacement. The first time she had laid her eyes on the imposter, mere minutes after the capture, she knew immediately that the new woman was Tsuna's replacement. She looked like a carbon copy of Tsuna, except with longer hair and a thinner waist. She looked delicate and girly, just as Tsuna had done. And yet, she was able to control Tsuna's strong flames. She had watched as the new woman flew out of her bedroom, straight through her windows, and to her house.

And so, when she realized that the imposter had gone to her house to look for her so soon after her capture, she had picked up the phone and informed the police herself. It hadn't been hard to bring the tears to her eyes and to sound hysterical. It hadn't been hard to fake a scream and to drop the phone and run a few steps before toppling over and sobbing. It hadn't been hard to hang up as the police asked for more information and watch as they broke into and entered her house. It hadn't been hard to see the new woman freeze in fear at seeing the new head of police handcuff her.

It had been hard to see her father's body, lying face-down in a pool of his own blood.

She didn't know why she did that, but she knew that Verde had approved of her actions. She didn't know what they had done with her mother either, but she didn't particularly want to know anymore. She supposed that they're holding her hostage so that she wouldn't try anything funny again. She didn't know a lot of things, but she knew she had to survive.

For three weeks, she had refused to touch any of the electronic equipment for communication. It was all part of her plan. When nobody got contacted about her whereabouts and when they found out that she answer their calls or called back, someone was bound to notice that she was missing. She almost succeeded too, as she noticed that Kyoko had gotten a lot more agitated lately and was constantly checking her phone.

Unfortunately, Verde caught on. He immediately ordered her, holding her mother at gunpoint, to make a cheery call to Kyoko and to tell her that nothing was wrong. As she had picked up the phone to call her best friend, she wondered why she even bothered to fight for her survival. Her mother watched fearfully from the corner, the gun jammed into her forehead. She noticed that although her mother had been kept in captivity for the past few weeks, she was still healthy looking and clean. There were no bruises on her arms or legs and she didn't have eye bags as if she hadn't slept for a while.

For a moment, she almost wished her mother got tortured. If her mother had been weakened, then she wouldn't have to think about anyone else, just herself.

If her mother died, she wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.

* * *

"Kyoko-chan! Let me tell you something interesting! Hahi, I'm so happy to hear your voice again! Sorry, I didn't have time to call you before because I got a little too into my work. Do you want to know what I'm doing? Well, I got hired by this company..."

Everything she was saying was a lie. Hibari could tell since she had first started speaking.

For Sasagawa Kyoko's safety, Hibari had ordered his Foundation to tap into her phone. He also needed some information about the mysterious company that Haru was 'working for'. Ever since the new Vongola heiress' disappearance, the family had been thrown into chaos once more. The senior advisors of the Vongola's business and financial sectors were arguing once more about who should take over the Vongola company businesses. It was as if Tsuna had died twice.

Nevertheless, the Vongola had decided to carry on to Italy, even without their boss. Vongola Nono had recognized increasing Mafioso activity in the area where the Vongola headquarters were. Families were getting restless with the gap that comes with the 'most powerful Mafia family' becoming weak and unstable. Families were now looking to raid the headquarters, possibly to destroy the Vongola completely so that they could take the title.

There were also rumors of an old, previously eliminated Family starting to emerge from its ashes. It would be a monstrous rebirth of an ancient and powerful family, and rumors were that even the Vongola wouldn't be able to take the family on.

Hibari wanted to bite everyone and everything to death. The rumors were severely disturbing the peace of Namimori, what with the subordinates of the Japanese headquarters panicking over the recent turn of events.

And now a new piece of news has reached his ears. From what the patrolling members of his Foundation had seen, there was a new head of Namimori Police strutting around pridefully and arresting criminals. Following Nono's decision to move all the guardians to Italy, he had to know if the new appointed head was worthy of protecting his beloved town. Even with the promise of better opponents among the herbivores of Italy couldn't persuade him to just drop everything and leave.

He made a little note to himself to pay the Namimori Police headquarters a visit after listening to a recording of Miura Haru's speech once more.

* * *

The walls of her cell were damp and uncomfortable. Unfortunately for her, Kohaku had not been allowed anything other than the standard jail cell, with a bolted metal bed and a few rough blankets for warmth. She was given her own toilet, but not her own shower, which was a punishment in itself. The Namimori Jail hadn't been split into female and male sections due to a lack in female criminals. She hadn't showered for days, refusing to take off her clothes in front of her fellow, leering jailmates.

Tsuna had stayed quiet since their arrest. He hadn't said a peep, and Kohaku was back to being unable to control her flames. It didn't help that they put a flame suppressant drug in her food, which convinced her that someone in the police task force knew who they were dealing with. She wasn't getting special treatment, and they had not allowed any visitors to see her.

Nobody had come in to question her. It made her feel as if they were going to bestow judgement on her without hearing her side of the story. She felt panicked over that predicament. She was a new boss, with little to no knowledge on dealing on the legal side of things. If they did decide to put her on trail, she would be mentally bombarded and attacked, and there was nothing she could do to defend herself.

_Tsuna? Are you still there? I need you to help me get stronger. _

It was almost like a prayer, the way she was muttering about Tsuna. When no reply came, she slumped against the wall once more, disappointed. She let her mind start to wander and unconsciously started drawing on the power of her flames.

They had taken away her ring, so there was nothing for her to channel her power through. She didn't have dying will gloves with her, and she has yet to find her weapon of choice. Heck, she didn't even know how to fight hand to hand properly. She was like a newborn child, helpless and useless.

_Maybe your memories can help me, Tsuna. Let me see some of your memories. _

And this time, he seemed to answer her plea. He stirred, deep in the recesses of her mind, and dragged her consciousness down with him into the dredges of his implanted memories.

* * *

_"Tsuna-san! Look here, Tsuna-san! The camera!"_

_A brown-haired girl was waving cheerfully at her. Kohaku blinked and shifted slightly so that she was standing stiffly with her eyes to the camera. The girl smiled and waved once more, before running to stand behind the contraption. The camera had been mounted on a tripod. She pressed a button quickly before skipping over and latching onto Kohaku's arm hastily._

_"Say 'cheese', desu!" _

_Her hold was uncomfortable, but she obeyed. "Cheese." She murmured, surprised at the deeper voice that came out of her mouth. The camera clicked and the girl hurriedly let go to check on the picture._

_It was then that Kohaku realized that she wasn't alone. Standing all around her, were people from her Famiglia. Her guardians, though they looked a little bit younger than usual. Gokudera was bickering with Yamamoto, even as Yamamoto had a goofy smile plastered on his face, one hand scratching the back of his head in confusion. Lambo was settled comfortably in another, orange haired girl's arms, cackling evilly and shouting about 'bakadera' and grapes. Chrome stood a few steps away, a shy smile gracing her soft features. Ryohei was fistpumping behind the orange haired girl, screaming his catchphrase for all the neighborhood to hear. And Hibari was standing at the very edge of the camera's vision, his head turned to the side disdainfully. He looked as if he can't wait to take off and get away from the group of crowding herbivores._

_The sight made her laugh. "Guys..." She murmured. _

_**How do I get stronger? **__She wanted to ask, but what came out of her mouth was "Lets meet up again for the summer festival tomorrow! We can all watch fireworks together by the shrine, just like last time..." _

_A chorus of agreements met her ears. _

_"Mhh! That's a good idea, Tsuna-kun!" _

_"THE SUMMER FESTIVAL IS EXTREMELY FUN!"_

_"H..Hai, bossu.."_

_"Ahaha! Do we have to sell chocobananas again tomorrow?"_

_"Lambo-sama wants a chocobanana! Oi, Bakadera, buy the great Lambo-sama another chocobanana! Gyahahaha~!"_

_"Of course, Jyuudaime! Shut up, stupid cow!"_

_She smiled as Hibari stalked away angrily, a frown on his face. He wasn't pleased with the amount of noise the crowd was making. It was giving him a headache.  
_  
_"Hn, I'd rather not crowd with useless herbivores."_

_**To protect what's important to you. **__Tsuna murmured softly in her head. It sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself. Still, the advice wasn't unwanted. Simply seeing the Vongola Decimo generation at the zenith of their relationship was a heartwarming sight. She wanted to interact with her guardians the same way, but she now knew that she could never take the place of Vongola Decimo simply. She had to prove her worth, firstly by getting out of her problems without the aid of any other..._

* * *

"Get up." Someone kicked her in the side roughly and she gasped, blinking at the shadow towering over her.

The man roughly kicked her again and she shot upright, wincing at the resulting pain in her side. It wasn't uncommon for police officers to treat prisoners roughly, but she had counted on them being more lenient to women. From the ugly stares she was getting from the man, she was obviously proven wrong. The man grabbed her wrist and clipped the handcuffs on both her hands. He looped one arm around her waist, smirking lecherously. The rest of the inmates wolf-whistled and laughed.

"The head of police has requested to see you." He whispered teasingly in her ears. If she hadn't needed to worry about getting into even more trouble, she would've kicked him. However, without her flame, her strength was no more than that of an average person.

"That's enough." A stern voice growled.

"Director." The man mumbled sheepishly, letting go of Kohaku at once.

She found herself facing the man who had first arrested her, the blond man whom Tsuna had claimed was called 'Alood' or something.

"Alood?" She said curiously, just to test the name out. The man's face darkened and he lifted his hand as if to hit her. Kohaku flinched slightly and waited for the blow to follow through, but nothing happened. Instead, he just painfully tightened her handcuffs and led her out of the room.

She was led into a plain white room. She glanced around sheepishly. If this was the interrogation room, then there was a severe lack of torture implements. But even so, she reasoned, the police force of this peaceful city had to abide laws. They couldn't just do whatever they wanted.

"Sit." 'Alood' commanded. She sat obediently and stared up at him. He resembled Hibari Kyoya a lot. If it weren't for the striking blue tint in his eyes and the obviously blonde hair, she would have mistaken him for the stoic cloud guardian. They seemed to have the same personality too, she mused, as 'Alood' took a seat gracefully and took out a recorder.

There was a cloud ring on the third finger of his right hand.

Kohaku's eyes widened. Did he manage to steal that from Hibari? As far as she knew, there was only one set of the Vongola rings existing in the world right this moment. Does this mean 'Alood' stole it from Hibari? But that's impossible. Hibari is possibly the strongest fighter she knew. This 'Alood' wouldn't have been able to defeat him.

_"Alaude. Stop referring to him as 'Alood'. I can't take him seriously anymore." _Tsuna emphasized the 'au' and gave it an Italian twist. Kohaku smiled. "Tsuna, you're back!" Finally. She wasn't alone anymore. She had been getting tired of being alone.

Oblivious to her, Alaude had been sitting at the other end of the table, observing her movements. 'Tsuna', the girl had said. To the extent of his knowledge, he knew that the 'Vongola Decimo' of this timeline was supposed to be a male called Tsuna, and yet he was now facing the current Decimo and she was neither male nor called Tsuna.

"What are your ties with the Vongola?" He stated bluntly.

Kohaku stilled, her eyes flicking to the tape recorder by his hand. He smirked. "This is for personal purposes. The police will not know of this."

"Why do you have the cloud ring on your finger?" Kohaku countered quickly. Alaude's expression darkened for a mere second before he managed to push his anger back and fix the emotionless mask on his face.

"I'll ask the questions. You'll answer them." He replied curtly, before repeating his question.

Kohaku hung her head for a moment. "I'm...the replacement boss of the late Vongola Decimo."

_Late Vongola Decimo? Meaning he died..._Alaude frowned. This was definitely not right. Giotto had told him just a few days ago that he was meant to meet a boy called Tsuna, full name Sawada Tsunayoshi. "Your name." He said.

"Sawada Kohaku." The girl replied.

She had the most peculiar amber eyes, he noted. They were almost like Giottos, except with more brown than amber. Obviously of a Asian descent, most likely Japanese. Her hair was unkempt and stuck out unevenly in some places, most of it falling on her back in a tangled mass of brown locks. Her voice was soft and high-pitched. Conclusion; she looked impossibly weak. She cannot be the 'replacement' Vongola Decimo, therefore she is lying.

"You're lying."

"I'm not!" She retorted.

Alaude let a flare of his cloud flame flicker on his ring. Kohaku watched it, fascinated. So he really was a cloud us-

"Urk!" She yelped, as the handcuffs around her wrists tightened suddenly. Alaude smirked. This would get the weakling to talk. She was probably just another subordinate who wanted to take the position of Vongola Decimo so as not to give away her boss' location. Not bad for a lowly subordinate. He could use a few of these smarter ones himself.

"Talk. And don't lie, or else..." Leaving the threat to her imagination, he quietly noted something down on his notebook before staring at her expectantly. Kohaku sighed. What would make this man listen to the truth? She hadn't counted on telling the truth as a form of keeping the man from finding out the truth. It was ironic, and she wasn't one to think of such irony. In any case, seeing that the man had a cloud ring on his hand, she didn't have anything to hide from him. If the advisors had accepted that the rings were to be given to other people, then who was she to object?

_"Vongola Decimo, that's who." _Tsuna reminded gently. "_How about we tell him what we know about him? Then he'll be sure to recognize that you're the current Decimo. Knowing about past guardians isn't common knowledge among the subordinates, as only high ranking subordinates or the boss himself...herself, sorry...can read such classified information." _

_That would work...except I know nothing about him._

"You're the first cloud guardian, Alaude. Um...You served underneath Giotto, who was the first Vongola founder. Your weapons are handcuffs..."

"I applaud your observation skills." Alaude replied calmly.

_"Is it just me, or did he sound sarcastic just now?" _

The handcuffs tightened another notch and it was all Kohaku could do to not yell out in pain. The man was brutal. On the outside, there was no 'torture' in this interrogation session. However, if higher ranking officials had even thought to lift her handcuffs just a little bit, they would see the red, abused skin underneath. Even then, they would only think that someone had put her handcuffs on too tightly, and the blame would not fall on anyone. Anyway, Alaude wasn't even touching the handcuffs.

"If you existed four hundred years ago, then why aren't you dead?" Kohaku murmured.

Alaude frowned. That was a question that had him baffled as well. He remembered dying, and yet here he was again, the same age that he had been when Vongola had reached its peak. He wasn't a living corpse, nor was he a ghost, and he had no recollection of what had happened after he departed the living world. It was almost as if he had never left.

"I'll ask the questions, you answer." He reminded her with a growl. He hated not knowing things.

Sudden thuds and yelps of pain outside the room stopped the 'interrogation session'. Alaude's expression turned icy, and Kohaku could've sworn she heard him mutter about stupid subordinates under his breath. The door knob clicked and rattled as whoever was on the other side tried to get into the room.

_"It's Gokudera and them, coming to rescue us!" _

Sure enough, the door blew open a moment later, not able to withstand 'Smoking Bomb Hayato' and his deadly dynamite. Alaude had dived to the side and had dragged Kohaku with him so as to avoid the debris that was now raining down on the two.

"Decimo-sama!" Gokudera called, only now realizing what he had done. He paled and quickly ran into the room. "Decimo-sama?"

"Trespassers will be _arrested._" Alaude was almost shaking with fury as he advanced towards the silver-haired bomber. Gokudera, having not immediately made the connection in the heat of his worry for Kohaku, faced him naively.

"Where did you put Decimo-sama! If I find out that you have been mistreating her in any way, I'll blow you to fucking pieces!" He whipped out his dynamite but just before he threw it, a hand clamped down on his wrist. The grip on his wrist tightened and Gokudera was forced to drop his dynamite without having lit any of them. They clattered harmlessly to the floor, some landing a mere meter away from Kohaku's legs.

"Hibari! You bastard! Why did you stop m-"

"Vongola _first cloud guardian._" Hibari's tone was just about as icy as Alaude's expression. The two cloud guardians faced each other warily.

For Hibari this was a moment to let his bloodlust run free. He had been wanting to fight the first cloud guardian for years, having heard from Reborn that he was practically a reincarnation of the man. That must mean that he was as strong as Hibari was, and that therefore made him a very worthy opponent. Hibari refused to think about why Alaude was even walking and breathing in this time period even though he died 400 years ago. That kind of thing didn't faze him at all, since Alaude was about to be _bitten to death _anyway.

To his disappointment, another annoying interruption cut off their would be fight.

"Alaude! Stop! What are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to randomly beat up civilians?"

_Vongola's founder, Giotto. Some truly strong opponents are gathering today. _

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**A/N: **Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter! You guys really made my day. :3 _  
_

Sorry, I haven't been active long. I've been a little too busy, and I've also tried NaNoWriMo, which didn't really go as well as I thought it would. That having been said, thanks to those who have been sticking with this story, but I'm really not sure about what to do next. This story is kind of dying. Nobody's really reading or reviewing yet, which makes the precious few who take the time to let me know how I'm getting on all the more rare and treasured. Thank you guys, really. I'm waiting for a plot twist to hit me in the face so I can continue writing, but until that moment, I might have to put this on hiatus or I might even abandon it all together.

Please, tell me what you think. If you guys think I should just stop this story, say so. If you guys think I should continue, say so. If you even want me to rewrite the whole thing, just give me the word and I'll try to write as best as I can.

Thank you all so much for sticking with me and my stupidly long hiatuses, for reading my writing even though it sounds really stupid most of the time. I tried to keep the plot exciting, but I can tell I'm starting to bore some of you...

So once again, please review. I hope to hear from you, dear readers. :)


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